Errazuriz Villa Don Maximiano, Aconcagua

Description

Errazuriz Villa Don Maximiano can be considered the “second wine” to Errazuriz’s flagship wine, the Don Maximiano Founders Reserve. The wine is a blend of wines from some of the Aconcagua Valley’s best vineyards which are located around the winery near Panquehue. The wine is named after the ‘Villa Errazuriz’ which was built by the winery’s founder in 1870. 

Errazuriz was founded in 1870 when Don Maximiano Errazuriz planted his first vineyards at Panquehue in the Aconcagua Valley – 100km North of the capital. Today, the tradition of quality lives on with Don Maximiano’s descendant Eduardo Chadwick who is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. Eduardo has overseen the modernisation of the winemaking technology at this historic Estate whilst maintaining a distinct identity for its wines. Dedicated to producing estate grown wines of superior quality, Errazuriz has built a reputation as the “Premier Family Wine Estate of Chile”.

The grapes for the Errazuriz Villa Don Maximiano come from vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley which extend from the MAX I vineyard and follow the Aconcagua River to the west. The vineyards have an enormous diversity of soil types, ranging from weathered intrusive igneous rock to deep coarse-grained alluvial soils with excellent drainage. Grape varieties planted include Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah, among others, and the vines have an average age of 30 years. Thee vines are planted on hillsides up to 60 metres above sea level, 50–70 km from the Pacific Ocean on the southern bank of the Aconcagua River. The region has an extended dry season with moderately warm summer days cooled by the gentle nocturnal breezes that enter the valley from the sea.

The Errazuriz Villa Don Maximiano 2019 is a blend of 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 18% Malbec, 15% Cabernet Franc, 7% Grenache and 3% Mourvedre.  The wine is matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 50% new and 30% in Stockinger foudres.