2016 Altair

The 2016 Altair shows the Cachapoal vineyards and the cooler year through a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 9% Syrah, quite different from previous years, especially with the debut of Cabernet Franc and the absence of Carmenere and Petit Verdot. The grapes were protected by carbonic snow, went through a three- to five-day cold soak and fermented with selected yeasts with eight short pump-overs per day during ten days. Malolactic was in barrel where the wine matured for 18 months. Some oak vats were also used, and all of the varieties aged separately and then were blended together. They use more Cabernet Franc (since 2015) and age it in oak foudres, which gives a nice kick to the blend. It's still quite classical and Bordeaux style. I sampled an unbottled 2018 just to see the change in style, which is fresher and less influenced by the oak. 16,717 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2018.