NEW Morande Vitis Unica Cabernet Sauvignon

Pairs with: Slow-braised beef short ribs with a dark reduction, rosemary-and-garlic-crusted ribeye steak, grilled lamb chops, roasted venison loin, or an artisanal platter of aged Manchego and semi-cured gouda.

Good for: Proving that high-altitude Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon can deliver towering structural elegance without heavy oak interference; providing a sophisticated, foudre-aged alternative to over-extracted Napa or Bordeaux reds; or anchoring a classic steak night with a savory, mineral-driven Chilean benchmark.

Grape: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

I am from: San Bernardo Vineyard, Maipo Valley, Chile (Sourced from high-density, sustainably farmed plots rooted in deep alluvial, stony soils at the foot of the Chena hills).

The Story: Since its founding by visionary winemaker Pablo Morandé, Viña Morandé has been a relentless pioneer of Chilean viticulture. Their Vitis Única collection celebrates single-site expression by matching classic grape varieties to specific micro-terroirs and utilizing low-intervention aging methods. For this bottling, the estate turns to the San Bernardo vineyard in the heart of the historic Maipo Valley—the global epicenter for high-altitude Andean Cabernet. The vineyard’s gravelly, nutrient-poor soils and dramatic day-to-night temperature swings allow the grapes to develop dense phenolic ripeness while retaining an energetic beam of natural acidity.

In the cellar, Morandé intentionally avoids the heavy-handed oak extraction that often overpowers New World Cabernet. The hand-selected fruit undergoes an extended 30-to-32-day maceration to extract fine, chalky tannins. Crucially, 80% of the wine is matured for 18 months in large 2,000- to 4,000-liter French oak foudres, with only 20% resting in traditional French oak barrels. This patient, large-format aging allows the wine to soften slowly via micro-oxygenation without masking the raw, mountain-born fruit or signature Maipo botanical notes under layers of toast and vanilla.

Why You'll Love Me: It is a masterclass in structural harmony, vibrant purity, and savory complexity—a medium-to-full-bodied Cabernet that pairs dark-fruit depth with an athletic, mountain-cool freshness. In the glass, it pours a deeply concentrated cherry-ruby color. The nose is immensely expressive, wafting out with an aromatic bouquet of crème de cassis, wild black cherries, and tart dark plums, seamlessly layered with top notes of pipe tobacco leaf, sweet paprika, cracked pepper, and a subtle whisper of toasted coffee. On the palate, it delivers a broad, mouth-filling stride; a succulent core of dark fruit is held upright by firm, finely woven tannins and a driving beam of natural acidity. Balanced and persistent, it sails into a long, dry finish marked by a trailing touch of dark cocoa, dried mint, and a gravelly mineral snap.