Valdivieso - CABALLO LOCO ÚNICO - Number Fifteen
Pairing Suggestions
Dark red violet. Complex and intense aroma with notes of cassis, coffee and hints of spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and clove. The taste is full , round, complex , tasty with soft tannins and a long finish.
Wineproducer: valdiviesovineyard.com
Valdivieso was founded in 1878 and gained fame as a sparkling wine producer before moving into red and white wines, but it was only in 1994 that the owners embarked on the project to produce Caballo Louco, one of Chile’s first premium wines and undoubtedly one of the best.
The idea for Caballo Loco was inspired by the legendary Spanish wine Vega Sicilia Único Gran Reserva, which is produced using the “Solera” method. This is a winemaking technique used mostly for Sherry production, whereby barrel-aged wines from different years are blended.
The first Caballo Loco was produced in 1994 (Caballo Loco number 1) made from a blend of 50% of that year’s vintage with an aged blend from 1992. Caballo Loco number 16,
currently available at Apolónia (€44.95), is the 16th wine to be made over the last 22 years, in this case from the 2011 and 2010 vintages.
The resulting wine is bottle-aged for at least 18 months before release onto the market, and being a blend of wines from different years, there is, of course, no vintage on the label.
The grapes for the premium Caballo Loco label come from four different vineyards in central Chile and the blend of the new wine varies each time it is made. Number 1 for example was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir, whilst other editions contain varieties as diverse as Syrah, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carménère.
Only Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are always present, blended with the best grapes from the other varieties that were most successful in the particular year and best suited to create the intended balance.
The result is a wine of great concentration, quite unlike any other on the market. There is intense mature berry fruit on the nose and richness on the palate with velvety tannins, and so many layers of flavours that the wine is almost impossible to describe in detail.
In addition to the main “Solera” master blend, there is a range of four Grand Cru wines (€32.95 at Apolónia) produced as vintages made from the specific grapes grown in each of the four vineyards. These wines are in essence the soul of the great wine itself. Caballo Loco Grand Cru Limari, for instance, is made from 100% Syrah from the Limari Valley whilst Grand Cru Maipo Andes is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the Maipo Alto Valley.