2007 Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile

Color – Ruby red

Nose – Plum, blackberry, cherry

Taste – I picked this up at Costco recently, having already tried the Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon, I was curious what it’s slightly more expensive older brother might offer. This doesn’t disappoint, I expected good things and this definitely has good things. On the initial sip, I can taste plum and cherry with a nice tinge of green bell pepper, these flavors fade into a mid-palate that tastes of sour blackberries and a little more alcohol than I would have liked, this leads to a long finish of cocoa and possibly some tobacco. There is a strong aftertaste of fruit skins (most likely the tannins coming through) though it’s not unpleasant. The wine itself lacks the depth I expected here and the mouthfeel is a closer to medium-bodied than full-bodied; I had hoped that this wine would be much better than the Santa Rita 120 unfortunately it’s not that big of an improvement. Don’t get me wrong, this wine is still good. Is it better than the Santa Rita 120? Probably not enough to make this have a better QPR, but it’s still a really good Cabernet Sauvignon for the price.

Overall, I’d say this is just a fraction better than the Santa Rita 120 and it’s about three dollars more expensive. Is it three dollars better? That depends on your palate. For me I’d say it’s about dead even. Depending on where I’m shopping and my budget, I’d be just as likely to pick this up as the Santa Rita 120. This is slightly more complex, but that’s to be expected from the differences in the vintages and grapes. Compared to other Cabs at this same price I’d rate this one just slightly above average. I enjoyed it even though it’s not perfect; it’s still a solid wine.