Veramonte is a large winery in Chile’s Casablanca Valley, clocking in at just under 500 hectares. Since its founding, it’s been a US-centric winery, with over 80% of its wines bought by American wine drinkers. That is by design: these are wines that fit our national palate incredibly well. The winery owner, Augustine Huneeus, lives in California, where he owns two other top-notch wineries, Flowers and Quintessa. One may even think of this as an American winery that happens to be located in South America.
Veramonte has three lines of wine: their budget line labeled Reserva ironically; their Ritual line for premium Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc; and finally, their Primus line for premium Malbec and Cabernet-based wines. Primus has always shown the highest level of consistent quality and value at the $20 price point of the three.
The wine shows some real Cabernet character and punch. An aroma of licorice and black tea leaves envelopes the nose. It is followed by a lush and tannic body of smoked vanilla, mineral, and raspberry. The finish is long and ends with a touch of salted caramel.