Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir

Description

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir is a Chilean red wine made from grapes harvested in Casablanca and the Aconcagua Costa. It is bottled as a DO Region de Aconcagua.

Errazuriz: Chilean Wine Pioneers

Errazuriz Estate 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. Eduardo is the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. Errazuriz’s philosophy is best expressed by Don Maximiano, who said, “From the best land, the best wine.”

Viña Errazuriz believes in the concept of ‘terroir’ and strives to produce the finest wines by controlling every stage of the winemaking process, from grape growing in the Aconcagua, Casablanca and Curico valleys, to winemaking with the most natural techniques.

Errázuriz La Escultura Vineyard

The grapes for Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir come from La Escultura vineyard, which is located west of Santiago in the Casablanca Valley. Just 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard is affected by cool coastal breezes that moderate the temperatures during the ripening period. This allows the grapes to ripen gradually and completely while developing pleasing aromas and flavours and maintaining desired acidity levels, which makes the Casablanca Valley particularly suitable for growing the Pinot Noir variety. Some grapes also come from estate vineyards in Aconcagua Costa.

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir Winemaking

Errazuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir is crafted to highlight complexity through wild (native) yeast fermentation, avoiding commercial strains to allow a diverse microbial profile that develops unique aromas and flavours under the stress of fermentation. The process includes:

• Hand-picking and double sorting of grapes for quality selection.
• Gentle destemming and crushing.
• A cold soak of 3 to 5 days to extract colour and aromas without harshness.
• Fermentation in open-top stainless steel tanks using only native yeasts.
• Extended skin contact / maceration (10 to 20 days total, including post-fermentation) for structure and depth.
• Ageing for 11 months in French oak barrels (with about 15% new oak) to add subtle spice and integration without overpowering the fruit.

This results in an elegant, fresh, and layered wine, typical of Chilean coastal Pinot Noir, which benefits from cool-climate influences near the Pacific for bright acidity and perfumed fruit.

What does “Wild Ferment” mean?

“Wild ferment” is a winemaking technique whereby grapes are fermented using only the natural, indigenous yeasts present on the grape skins rather than adding commercially produced yeast strains. Compared to wines made with commercial yeast strains, this results in the development of more distinctive, complex aromas and flavours in the finished wines. Wild fermentation is often seen as a more “natural” and low-intervention winemaking approach, which allows the terroir and character of the grapes to shine through.