The Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon, currently rated No. 1 in the ultra-premium Chilean wine segment, made its debut in the United States this year, and it is quickly making its way to the top of the ranks among American Cabernet Sauvignon and red blend connoisseurs and afficionados alike.
Sicily Cronin of Prestige PR, Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon winemaker Isabel Mitarakis, and Viña Concha y Toro Marketing Director Meghan Murray came together to introduce the Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 to a select group of media at Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse in Midtown, New York City.
34-year-old Isabel Mitarakis is the young, but seasoned winemaker behind the Viña Concha y Toro group’s Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon. Isabel herself is currently one of the rising stars in the burgeoning Chilean wine scene. Before joining the Concha y Toro group, Isabella worked in the vineyards of Viña Don Melchor in Chile, Berlucchi in Franciacorta, Italy, Fetzer in Mendocino Valley, California, and Chateau Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac, Bordeaux.
Isabel selects only the best quality grapes to create a wine that is bold and rich, but also full of fresh and lively fruit flavors that truly express the natural characteristics of the Cabernet Sauvignon (85%), Cabernet Franc (10%), and other red grapes (5%) that are used in the blend. The grapes are sourced from parcels in the following three vineyards:
(97%) D.O. Cauquenes, Maule Valley (red clay and granite soil situated 30-50 kilometers from the coast, near the Lower Coastal Mountains) (1%) D.O. Peumo, Cachapoal Valley (Deep clay soil with good moisture retention, situated 170 meters above sea level on hilly terraces, overlooking the coastal mountain ranges by the Cachapoal River) (2%) D.O. Puente Alto and Pirque, Maipo Valley (Alluvial, rocky, and loam soil situated on the Andean terrace)
The climate in these areas is predominantly Mediterranean, with coastal and mountain influences.
The grapes are hand-selected at the winery before being destemmed and fermented for 8-10 days in stainless steel tanks. The wine is tasted during the maceration process to ensure that it reflects the character of the Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon label. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation before it is aged for 12 months. 90% of the wine is aged in French oak barrels, and of this percentage, 10% is aged in new, and 90% is aged in 3rd and 4th use French oak barrels. The remaining 10% of the wine is aged in oak casks.
Isabel believes a wine should reflect the nature of the varietals and the terroir, as well as the quality methods of production used to create it. However, Isabel does not subscribe to stringent rating systems when determining the quality of her wine. Nor does she set rigid parameters on how, and with what cuisines the wine should be enjoyed, and in these respects, the Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon is a disruptor in the wine industry.
“Xtra Cab” refers to the unabashed expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape in the Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon 2019. Expect a lively acidity coupled with well-integrated tannins, unrestrained red and black berry and stone fruit, as well as scented wood, and mocha aromas, and ripe and juicy raspberry, blackberry, and cherry, as well as plum, oak, and chocolate notes.
The Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 has both complexity and depth, and it is extremely approachable and adaptable to a wide range of dishes. Sicily’s arrangement of the wine tasting at Fogo de Chao was perfect; the Unrated Xtra Cab Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 paired as seamlessly with the myriad vegetable-centered options such as roasted squash and root vegetables, and quinoa and other grain-based salads, as it did with the hearty grilled red and white meat selections.
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