Errázuriz

In the village of Pankue, 100 kilometres north of Santiago, the Viña Errázuriz winery has been producing wine since 1870. It is one of Chile’s oldest family-run wineries and the first estate to plant French grape varieties in the Aconcagua Valley. Today, the winery is run by Eduardo Chadwick, a fifth-generation descendant of the founding family, and its wines are exported to 78 countries worldwide.

History

Don Maximiano Errázuriz founded the estate in 1870, setting off on horseback northwards, beyond the already cultivated vineyards in the vicinity of Santiago, to find land he considered more suitable for winemaking. By the time the first batch of wine was released in 1873, he had planted over 300 hectares. By 1890, the estate had expanded to 700 hectares, making it the largest private wine-growing estate in the world at that time. The original winery building from 1870 still stands on the estate, alongside the Icon winery, built in 2010, which is spiral-shaped and operates using gravity, solar energy and geothermal temperature control.

Vineyards, terroir and grape varieties

The estate has four mountain vineyards in the warmer, continental heart of the Aconcagua Valley: Max I (26 hectares), Max II and Max V (both 48 hectares) and Max VIII. They are situated on stony, sandy-loam alluvial soils, suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Syrah and Malbec.

The Aconcagua Costa vineyard, situated 12 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 600 metres, is cultivated on clay-loam soils with a coastal influence and planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The Las Pizarras vineyard, also situated close to the coast, is planted on schist soils and is used to produce the estate’s most limited-run batches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Winemaking and wines

Each vineyard plot is fermented separately using a mix of stainless steel, concrete and oak fermentation vessels. The Don Maximiano Icon winery produces top-tier red wines using gravity flow and oak fermentation vessels.

The wine range comprises several tiers. The iconic wines are Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend aged for 22 months in French oak; KAI, a 100% Carmenère from the Max II vineyard; and La Cumbre Syrah. The Las Pizarras Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reflect the terroir of the cool coastal schist. T

he Aconcagua Costa range and the Max Reserva tier cover a broader appellation. Overall, the estate produces around 450,000 cases per year.