Laura Hartwig Selección del Viticultor Block Nogales Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

Back in June I enjoyed the 2018 Laura Hartwig Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and for tonight's red wine review I take it up a notch with this Winemaker's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon from the same producer. This red wine from Chile is a new arrival to the LCBO that came to LCBO VINTAGES on February 19th.

Laura Hartwig is a winery located Santa Cruz, in the heart of the Colchagua Valley, Chile. Their story begins when Osvaldo Bisquertt purchased the property in 1928 to cultivate annual crops and raise cattle. His daughter, Laura Bisquert, inherited the "Santa Laura" farm in 1966 and further expanded the estate. Wine entered the picture in the 1970's after she and her husband, Alejandro Hartwig, developed a passion for wine and returned to Chile from Toronto to focus their attention on viticulture.

Alejandro Hartwig is a dedicated winegrower who personally oversees the entire Estate. He understands that producing excellent wine requires not only blessed soils, careful management of the vineyard, and the finest selection of grapes, but also perseverance, respect, and dedication. With a non-interventionist philosophy and human scale production to craft their wines, Laura Hartwig is able to take detailed care with each step of the winemaking process.

This Winemaker's Selection of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was grown at the Laura Hartwig Estate in Santa Cruz, specifically from a single block that was planted in 1980 over deep soils and a loam clay surface. These old vines which are now over 40 years old have achieved a natural balance between growth and production per season to give balanced fruit for high quality wines. The grapes were hand-selected by cluster and transported to the winery in bins for further detailed selection. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the the wine was aged for 12 months in first and second-use French oak barrels, followed by a further 5 months in cement egg.

With a brilliant 2018 growing season across Chile that started with a warm spring and moderate conditions that allowed the grapes to slowly ripen, the resulting wines achieved good fruit characters, balanced alcohol, and very good acidity. Let's see how this 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAURA HARTWIG SELECCIÓN DEL VITICULTOR BLOCK NOGALES CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - DO Santa Cruz, Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#21951) (XD) - $20.95
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from 40-year-old vines, the medium+ intensity nose has cool, fresh, leafy herbals and evergreen aromas followed by red currant, cassis, and subtle spice notes. On the full-bodied palate it has structured, smooth, and polished tannins, along with fresh, balanced acidity. Nice interplays between fruity and herbals on the palate with currant, cassis, leafy herbs, evergreen, and some smoky notes on the back palate. Long and juicy with wood smoke notes lingering on the finish. Recommended buy. Score: 89 pts

While there are a couple of dozen bottles of one other Laura Hartwig wine available at the LCBO, wines from the rest of their portfolio can be ordered through the Agent - Profile Wine Group.

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Laura Hartwig Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

Following up on the delicious 2018 Laura Hartwig Single Vineyard Carménère that I enjoyed back in April, tonight's wine review is another delicious offering from the same producer. This Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon arrived at the LCBO last weekend and was featured as part of theme on wines from Chile in the June 12 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Laura Hartwig Premium Wines, a winery whose roots go back to when Osvaldo Bisquertt purchased the property in 1928 to cultivate annual crops and raise cattle. In 1966, his daughter Laura Bisquert inherited the "Santa Laura" farm and further expanded the estate. While living in Toronto and Montreal in the 1970's, Laura and her husband, Alejandro Hartwig, developed a passion for wine and decided to turn their estate back in Chile into a winery. Together, they planted their first vines in 1978 with the aim of producing wines that reflect their origin in Santa Cruz, the heart of the Colchagua Valley. Laura Hartwig uses a non-interventionist philosophy and human scale production to craft their wines. In this way, they are able to take detailed care with each step of the winemaking process.

This Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot that was crafted from carefully selected 40 year old vines grown in the town of Santa Cruz, in central Chile's Colchagua Valley. The soils here are clay on the surface with sandy deposits in the deeper strata. The grapes were hand-harvested, then gently destemmed and sorted, fermented in stainless steel tanks, and then aged in French oak barrels and staves for 13 months. Let's see how this Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAURA HARTWIG SINGLE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - DO Colchagua Valley, Chile (#13428) (XD) - $16.95
This Cabernet Sauvignon, which includes 5% Petit Verdot has a fresh, medium-high intensity nose that delivers aromas of red and black fruit, cassis, currant, herbal and spice with savoury undertones. The fresh and chewy, medium-full bodied palate has ripe red and black fruit, currant, cassis, and herbal aroma replays on the flavour profile that turns savoury on the mid-palate. Acids are fresh, while the finely textured, powdery tannins are a touch drying. Savoury graphite with hints of dark berry linger on the finish, with good length. Score: 88 pts

The aforementioned Carménère can be found at the LCBO, while other delicious wines from Laura Hartwig can be ordered through their Agent - Profile Wine Group, who also now offer Air Miles® Reward Miles with purchase.

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Laura Hartwig Single Vineyard Carménère 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

After enjoying the lovely 2017 Laura Hartwig Edición de Familia back in November, tonight's wine review is another fine offering from Laura Hartwig that arrived at the LCBO last weekend as part of the April 3rd LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Osvaldo Bisquertt purchased the property in 1928 to cultivate annual crops and raise cattle. In 1966, his daughter Laura Bisquert inherited the "Santa Laura" farm and further expanded the estate with her husband Alejandro Hartwig. In the 1970's, while the Hartwig family lived in Toronto and Montreal, Alejandro Hartwig (Sr.) took wine courses and developed a passion for wine, eventually deciding to establish a winery back in Chile as their active retirement project. In 1978, Laura Hartwig Premium Wines was borne when they planted their first vines in the Colchagua Valley. Today, Alejandro Hartwig Jr. has also joined the family project as winegrower.

This Single Vineyard Carménère is Laura Hartwig's top selling wine from the Colchagua Valley. It is crafted using grapes, which were planted in 2000, from the Block "Isla" at the Laura Hartwig Estate in Santa Cruz, the heart of Colchagua Valley. This site has clay loam soils on the surface with sand deposits located much deeper in the ground. The grapes were hand-harvested and sorted, then vinified in stainless steel tanks, followed by ageing in French oak barrels for 12 months. The 2018 vintage Chile was considered to be brilliant in terms of quality and quantity. Let's see how this Chilean Carménère is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAURA HARTWIG SINGLE VINEYARD CARMÉNÈRE 2018 - DO Colchagua Valley, Chile (#213512) (XD) - $15.95
Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, this 100% Carménère has a fragrant nose offering aromas of herbaceous and grilled red pepper notes joined by blackberry and touches of vanilla, chocolate, and walnut. On the medium-bodied palate it has vanilla-infused flavours of grilled red pepper, herbs, and black cherry. Acids are fresh and well-balanced, while the polished tannins have a fine-grained texture. Chocolatey oak, black cherry, and red pepper notes linger on the juicy, balanced finish, with very good length. Enjoy over the next 2-3 years. Score: 88 pts

While you might find a couple of other wines from Laura Hartwig at the LCBO, your best bet is to contact their Agent - Profile Wine Group.

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Laura Hartwig Edición de Familia 2017 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Chilean red blend that first came to VINTAGES as a Flagship Store Exclusive back in May (and sold out quickly), but now returns to LCBO VINTAGES on November 14 in quantities such that it will be widely available across Ontario.

It is produced by Laura Hartwig Premium Wines, and the story begins in 1966 when Laura Bisquertt inherited the "Santa Laura" farm from her father, Osvaldo. He purchased the property in 1928 and cultivated annual crops and had cattle. The next 5 years after inheriting the farm, Laura and her husband, Alejandro Hartwig, purchased neighbouring lots and ran the estate. In 1971, Alejandro decided to look for work abroad and landed in Montreal, Canada. While living in Canada with his family for 10 years, he developed a passion for wine and decided with Laura to return to Colchagua Valley, with its excellent climate for winegrowing, to establish a winery as their "Retirement Project".

In 1978, Laura and Alejandro started planting the estate with Bordeaux varietals and sold the fruit to other wineries. In 1994, they built the estate in Santa Cruz, in the heart of the Colchagua Valley, and created their first Laura Hartwig wine a year later - a Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. Today, it is children of Laura and Alejandro who are in charge of the estate and aim to produce wines with the same principles that their parents instilled in them. With a temperate climate, loam clay soils, and a long-standing team, Laura Hartwig has developed low-impact and sustainable vineyard management practices.

This Edición de Familia (Family Edition) red wine blend was born out of the Winemaker's need to create a classic red blend with the oldest vines planted in the estate, and also reflect the potential of these varieties with quality fruit every vintage. The 2017 vintage of this wine is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. In the Edición de Familia, Winemaker Renato Czischke has the space and complete freedom express his passion, conviction, and ideas to make a wine with a unique and personal style while paying tribute to the Hartwig family.

Tasting Note:

LAURA HARTWIG EDICIÓN DE FAMILIA 2017 - DO Colchagua Valley, Chile (#14147) (XD) - $27.95
A blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Malbec, 12% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that was aged in (50%) new and second use French oak barrels for 20 months. It has an elegant, rich, and fragrant nose of bay leaf, forest green herbs, cassis, blackcurrant, earth, and cedary oak aromas. It's medium+ bodied on the palate with firm, grippy, and textured tannins along with fresh, lively acidity. Some greenness on the flavour profile is balanced with pleasing savoury, earthy, oak, and blackcurrant notes with a touch of coffee. Long, bright finish is savoury and earthy with oak spice notes. Enjoyable now with big, red meats, but I would age this for 3-4 years for prime enjoyment. Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines from Laura Hartwig are available via their Agent - Profile Wine Group.

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