Emiliana Vinyards “Natura” Cabernet (NV – Red Wine)

Aug 3 2009

Kicking off our week of “Captivating Cabs” An Bui brings a wine from Chile to the table… — SH




How to Hail a Cab… Cabernet, that is.

“I like it how I like it when I like it and that’s how it is…” Lindsay Lohan, Bossy

Never thought I’d quote LiLo, but last night my taste buds took a brief trip to South America. At dinner at a Brazilian grill in Denver, I asked my server to bring me tastes of each cabernet on the menu. I knew I wanted a cab, but didn’t know which one. I thought I might have the Brazilian cab, but I wanted my taste buds to make the decision.

I tasted the Peterlongo from Garibaldi, Brazil and the Natura from Valle Central, Chile.
The Peterlongo, a medium bodied wine, hit my taste buds with a crisp, tart fruit. The wine’s sweet, light scent paired with its taste and did not have the complexity I sought.

My final choice? The Emiliana Vineyards “Natura” from Valle Central, Chile. Made from organically grown grapes, this cabernet presented a very full body and a fruity scent, reminiscent of ripe berries. The deep jeweled red gleamed in the medium lighting. As the Natura slipped across my tongue and down my throat, I caught hints of fruit, the slight bitterness much like really dark chocolate. The complex finish was both smoky and spicy at the same time.

Of the various meats I sampled (peru com bacon, presunto, mahi-mahi, lamb, and many others), the pairing I enjoyed most was the picanha, a rare top sirloin, with the Natura cabernet. The beef highlighted the wine notes in a distinctive manner.

An drank the Natura cabernet from the Valle Central region in Chile ($7.25/glass), at Rodizio Grill in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood.
For taste, color, scent, experience and complexity, An gives the Natura cabernet a 3 out of 5.