{"id":16504,"date":"2016-12-16T11:11:39","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T11:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/?p=16504"},"modified":"2016-12-16T11:11:39","modified_gmt":"2016-12-16T11:11:39","slug":"chile-day-3-vina-errazurizs-panquehue-winery-with-francisco-baettig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/chile\/chile-day-3-vina-errazurizs-panquehue-winery-with-francisco-baettig","title":{"rendered":"Chile, day 3, Vi\u00f1a Err\u00e1zuriz\u2019s Panquehue winery with Francisco Baettig"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eduardo
Eduardo Chadwick and winemaker Francisco Baettig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final visit of the first leg of this trip was at Vi\u00f1a Err\u00e1zuriz\u2019s home base, the winery in Panquehue, Aconcagua Valley, where their Max I vineyard is located. This is home both to the historic Don Maximiano winery, first built in 1870, and also the brand new icon winery, which was opened in 2010.<\/p>\n

\"The
The new icon winery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The old winery was an impressive project for its time that involved excavating underground cellar rooms. This alone took five years to achieve, and once it was built it was filled with large raul\u00ed casks (a native Chilean wood). These were to remain there until the 1980s, and the first vintage of the new era of Don Maximiano was aged in these casks, back in 1983. Indeed, the first French oak barrels only came into Chile in the late 1980s. \u2018The first French barrels came into Chadwick. \u2018We imported them and my first thought was how am I going to pay from them?\u2019<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

The Don Maximiano \u2018Icon\u2019 winery was designed by architect Samuel Claro. It\u2019s an impressive facility, built from bleached concrete. It\u2019s been constructed with winemaking in mind, and allows the movement of juice and wines by gravity in their passage through the various stages of winemaking.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

Max I is the name of the 20 hectare vineyard here around the winery. It\u2019s reasonably warm here, and the vines planted on granitic sandy\/loam soils are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah. This is where most of the fruit for the Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve and La Cumbre Syrah come from.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

We looked around and tasted with chief winemaker Francisco Baettig (known as Pancho by his colleagues). He\u2019s a great talent, and is a real thinker. Recently he has slowly and gradually pulled the style of the Errazuriz icon wines away from the riper, oakier, more \u2018international\u2019 style beloved of some critics, towards a more classical, ageworthy style that allows an expression of place. \u2018Since 2010 I have been changing the style little by little,\u2019 says Baettig. \u2018I use less new oak, I\u2019m picking earlier, and I\u2019m stretching the ageing from 18-22 months. In 2014 I am getting close to where I want to go.\u2019 He adds that the 2005 vintage was the high point of ripeness, oak and sweetness.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

Why did top Chilean wines go to an excess of ripeness and oak? \u2018In the 1990s when we started to export we started to make riper wines with more new oak,\u2019 says Baettig. \u2018Traditionally in Chile the production of wine was big crops from the flat, fertile soils. The wines were green and light. When we wanted to do a riper style, getting rid of greenness, with more concentration, we started to push ripening and did a green harvest to lower yields.\u2019 But concurrent with this was a move to planting new vineyards in more marginal soils which were capable of yielding better quality (these naturally had lower yields and produced riper grapes with less greenness). \u2018We planted in more marginal soils and yet we carried on pushing ripening,\u2019 says Baettig. \u2018Marginal soil are usually found in foothills with more sun and less water. So it became an extreme of extreme. We didn\u2019t need to push ripeness on the marginal soils.\u2019 So the result was very ripe, concentrated wines, and in many cases these were excessive. \u2018I think we have been going backwards now to a better equilibrium, but we needed to reinterpret our sites.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

We tried through some new trials. In the icon winery he\u2019s now got a few concrete eggs and several large oak botti or foudres (some from Stockinger in Austria and others from Gamba in Italy.<\/p>\n

Grenache 2016<\/strong> from concrete egg, Las Vertientes vineyard (near Se\u00f1a), 13.5% alcohol. This goes into The Blend. Reduced. Fresh, direct and powerful with vivid raspberry fruit. Very fine and fresh.<\/p>\n

Petit Verdot 2016<\/strong> from botti (2800 litre), 13.4% alcohol. Las Vertientes vineyard. Pure, vivid, concentrated and fresh with lovely juicy black cherry and raspberry fruit. Lovely.<\/p>\n

Malbec 2016<\/strong>, Las Vertientes vineyard, from botti. 13.3% alcohol. Has a bit of nice reduction. Fresh, linear, pure and floral with some mineral character.<\/p>\n

Cabernet Sauvignon 2016<\/strong> from 2500 litre Stockinger foudre, Max V vineyard, alluvial souls, 13.6% alcohol. Very fresh and floral with vivid, supple fruit. Vital raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, with lovely weight.<\/p>\n

Cabernet Franc 2016<\/strong> Las Vertientes vineyard, 13.6% alcohol. Supple and fresh with raspberries and spices. Supple and juicy with intense red fruits.<\/p>\n

Syrah 2016<\/strong> from Aconcagua Costa, in Nomblot egg. Fine, spicy, grippy and vivid with peppery raspberry and black cherry fruit. This is really grippy and delicious.<\/p>\n

\"The
The first traditional method sparkling: a sneak preview<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Traditional Method 2015 (early disgorgement)<\/strong>
\nThis is an exciting project: a traditional method sparkling wine made from 60% Pinot Noir with 40% Chardonnay. The plan is to keep this for five years on lees. 12% alcohol, pH 3. Very bright and intense with real precision and lovely citrus intensity. So pure and vivid (150 cases of this and the blanc de blancs, 2016 increased to 250 cases). Taut and linear with a hint of cherry and pure lemons. Such good acidity and precision. Needs time. 91-93<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

Errazuriz The Blend Collection White 2015 Aconcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\n13.5% alcohol. 60% Marsanne, 26% Roussanne, 14% Viognier. Fresh with herb, mint and fennel notes alongside white peach and yellow plum fruit. Nice freshness and weight here with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Shows restraint and precision. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz The Blend Collection Red 2013 Aconcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\n14% alcohol. 45% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 15% Mourv\u00e8dre, 12% Carignan. 10% new oak. Has a slight meaty edge to the fresh, vivid raspberry and black cherry fruit. Dense and taut with a touch of reduction keeping things tight. There\u2019s a focus and freshness with a touch of savoury tautness from the Maule Carignan. Juicy and grippy with lovely freshness, and good potential for development. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz Kai 2014 Aconcagua Valey, Chile<\/strong>
\n14.5% alcohol. From the Max V vineyard, with deep alluvial soils, very stony. Sweet, lush, smooth blackcurrant fruit with some gravel, chalk and subtle green notes. Rich, sweet autumnal palate with blackberries and sweet black cherries, showing an almost salty lushness and smooth fine-grained texture. Very smooth and rich. Ripe but very attractive. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz La Cumbre Syrah 2014 Acongcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\n14% alcohol. A blend of Max vineyards and Aconcagua Costa. 50% new oak. Lovely fresh raspberry fruit with some vivid cherries, too. Subtle hints of pepper and olive, with nice precision and freshness. There\u2019s polish here, but also freshness and a bit of stony grip. Oak is really well integrated. It\u2019s impressive and nicely weighted. 93\/100<\/p>\n

\"The
The debut vintage, 1983<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve 1983 Aconcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\nThis was the first vintage of the reopened vineyard, made with very basic equipment. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine of the new era. Very fresh and still quite vibrant with cherries, berries and herbs. There are faint hints of mint and rubber, and also subtle tarriness. It\u2019s elegant and supple with nice smoot fruit, and it\u2019s really beguiling, with some iodine and fine spices. Aged in large, old 4000 litre casks. There\u2019s a bit of warmth here, and it\u2019s just delicious. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve 1993 Aconcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\n12.5% alcohol. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This has aged beautifully. Some sweet, ripe, herb tinged blackcurrant and black cherry fruit with hints of earth. Some smoke, some tea leaves, fine spices and cedar, too. Supple and balanced with freshness and detail, and just a hint of mint. Freshness and detail here. A beautiful wine. 94\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve 2005 Aconcagua Valley, Chile
\n<\/strong>Lovely spicy black fruits. Has some lushness, and it is sweet and smooth with nice texture to the black cherries and blackberries. Very smooth and stylish with just a hint of earthiness. A really elegant, mature wine, with some notes of iodine, spice and earth. 93\/100<\/p>\n

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve 2005 Aconcagua Valley, Chile
\n<\/strong>14.5% alcohol. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot. Rich, intense and spicy with lots of sweet, bold black fruits and some lush oak. Powerful and a bit salty with some sweetness, and a bit of alcoholic warmth. It\u2019s concentrated and has some deliciousness, but it\u2019s just a bit too sweet and ripe. 90\/100
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder\u2019s Reserve 2014 Aconcagua Valley, Chile<\/strong>
\n14% alcohol. 14% alcohol. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Carmenere, 9% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot. 70% new oak. Beautifully floral aromatics here: black cherries and blackcurrants, with real detail. The palate is ripe with lovely sweet fruits, but also precision and detail. There\u2019s a nice texture and fine grained, stony detail. Fine detail and freshness, and also purity and ageing potential. 95\/100<\/p>\n

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The final visit of the first leg of this trip was at Vi\u00f1a Err\u00e1zuriz\u2019s home base, the winery in Panquehue, Aconcagua Valley, where their Max I vineyard is located. This…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[385],"class_list":["post-16504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chile","tag-chile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16504"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16523,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16504\/revisions\/16523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}