Licanten merlot 2017 (La Ronciere)

Drink it now or cellar for up to 10 years. It is recommended to decant it for half an hour. The Chilean winery La Ronciere was born in 1949 thanks to the dedication of Don Fernando Orueta for the production of high-quality wines. Operating throughout the Central Valley of Chile with 740 acres of vineyards, the company has managed to focus on small, controlled productions without industrialization. Now the three Orueta brothers work together with the winemaker Juan A. Muñoz to continue producing wines of the highest quality that are expressive of their terroir of origin. This wine of great body and elegance is produced with Merlot grapes (with small additions of Malbec and Syrah) from the vineyards of the Idahue Estate, located 25 km from the Pacific Ocean in Licantén. The wine is aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. The Ronciere Licanten Merlot has a generous deep red color. On the nose, the wine reveals the typical fruity aromas of black plums and dark berries. On the palate, it is a muscular and voluminous wine, dry and with silky tannins. It has a full body and an excellent concentration of fruit. The finish is fresh and recalls slightly woody notes. It is a very versatile wine in combination with food: it is perfect with roast lamb or veal, filet mignon, and braised red meat.