Santa Rita 120 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Chile

Wow! Spectacular in its awfulness. It might be better in your car than on the table. Chile should be ashamed. A worthy rival for Yellowtail in their race to the basement. Sometimes I have to drink bad wine so you don’t have too.

Well, it’s a color somewhere between red and garnet. It’s clear wine but definitely on the pale side (some might even call it shallow). Not much in the way of viscosity indicating poor structure or body. It’s nose? Well it’s tough at least for me to get past what I guess to be the smell of gasoline or kerosene. There’s some fruit notes there but you won’t find them easily. And that won’t help anything your palette might discover. Balance is good though and the finish a trifle short if also a little petroleum. I can’t think of a good reason why you should buy this wine. And at 3 years old, it probably won’t get any better. Maybe if you put this up a few bottles for a few more years you might have octane high enough to put in your car. And the final question is: "How can something that starts out as grapes, sunshine, water, and air turn into this?"

A naïve young Cab, just like the sweet tasty wood nymph it should be used on.

– Silenus

Grade: D- Price: Don’t buy this.

Wine Reviewed:
Santa Rita
120 (Silenus seems to think this is the octane rating).
2003
Cabernet Sauvignon
Rapel Valley, Chile
Alcohol Conten: 13.5% by Volume
Octane: 85
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