The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon La Parcelle 8 comes from Apalta, Colchagua, and was made from vines first planted in 1915. Aged for 26 months in new French barrels, it is garnet red in color with delicious, intense aromas of black currant and mint alongside hints of thyme and laurel plus a whiff of date. Concentrated with a refined expression, the palate is energized by the alcohol, which is channeled by the wood into a velvety texture. Well-made in a classical style, it has begun to develop a bouquet.

I found the new and ambitious 2015 La Parcelle 8 very ripe, playing with over-ripeness. Perhaps it's the combination of centenary vines and a warm and dry year that delivered very ripe and concentrated juice, and the wine hits the scale at 15% alcohol, with plenty of tannins. It reminds me of the wines from yesteryear, lacking today's freshness and balance. It matured in 100% new French oak barrels for 26 months. Will it ever absorb the oak?