2020 Cousino Macul - Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley Antiguas Reservas (750ml)

Cousiño Macul was founded in 1856 by Mathías Cousiño and remains one of the few Chilean wineries from that era still in family hands today. In 1860, his son Luis traveled to France just before phylloxera swept through European vineyards, returning with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot cuttings from Pauillac and Margaux that would shape the estate's identity. As Santiago's growth eventually surrounded the original Macul vineyard on the city's edge, the family acquired additional land in Buin, further south in the Maipo Valley, in the 1990s to secure the estate's future plantings.

Antiguas Reservas has been produced since 1927 and remains the house's most historic bottling. The 2020 vintage draws roughly seventy percent of its Cabernet Sauvignon from the newer Buin vineyards and the remainder from mature vines planted decades ago on the original Macul property. After harvest the wine ages for about a year in oak barrels, a process intended to soften its tannins while preserving the herbal, high-elevation character typical of Alto Maipo fruit.

Garnet red with a purple sheen, this Cabernet offers an intense nose of blackcurrant and black pepper layered with bay leaf, blueberry, and a touch of mint and ash. The palate is compact and well defined, with fine tannins carrying clean, satisfying fruit through to the finish. It pairs nicely with lamb chops, wild mushroom dishes, or a firm sheep's milk cheese.