Chile: A Stylistic Journey From the Andes to the Coastal Ridge

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | MAY 06, 2021

“Reality tends to disappear,” laughed the Chilean anti-poet Nicanor Parra from his home in Las Cruces, nearby Leyda and San Antonio – four simple words that sum up the world in which we live. In addition to his wine-themed name (parra being one of the Spanish words for vine), Parra also had the talent to befuddle and inebriate you with his world of contradictions. Since Chile is a land of poets (Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral are other prominent names), Parra’s words are very appropriate, because the reality of the wine scene in Chile is changing quickly.     

That becomes clear when you focus your gaze (and palate) on the expanding range of styles the country has to offer today: the familiar ripe fruit flavors, good body and camphor aromas are now joined by fresh fruit, lively mouthfeel and spice and floral notes.

The 715 wines in this report are testament to this changing world. As Marcelo Retamal, the oenologist at Viñedos de Alcohuaz and Padawan of a trend since his time at De Martino, likes to say: “We’re turning our backs to the dark side of the force,” with an ironic wink that suggests his sense of humor might not be too dissimilar to Parra’s.

What does he mean by the dark side? A powerful Bordeaux influence in the least Bordeaux-like region on the continent, as well as a market-oriented form of winemaking. Today producers are abandoning that approach in favor of reds and whites with more local character. Wines that evoke the resplendent landscape of forested valleys, vines covered in the morning ocean mist, the barren, inhospitable hillsides of the northern valleys, the granite soils of the Cordillera de la Costa (Coastal Ridge), or inland and coastal dry-farmed vineyards. Wines that have a bewitching character of their own.  

The Viña Bouchon vineyard planted with País in Maule, on the Cordillera de la Costa, a dry-farmed region by the coast.

Maipo and the Classics

Amid the winds of change, the Maipo region will always offer a guarantee for lovers of Chilean wine, especially corners such as the Maipo Andes for Cabernet Sauvignon, while other classic characters can be found in Pirque, Puente Alto, Buin and Alto Jahuel, on the outskirts of Santiago. However, far from playing it safe, even here producers have been heading towards dynamic new directions. 

The 2018 Don Melchor, Almaviva and Viñedo Chadwick represent the quintessential Bordeaux-influenced Cabernet Sauvignon from Puente Alto; the vineyards sit side by side on the same alluvial terrace of the Maipo River. By combining grapes from different parcels, or blending different varieties, in carefully judged proportions, these wines have received high praise. For years I have admired oenologist Michel Friou’s subtle adjustments since he first came to Almaviva in 2008: “I fine-tune the ripeness, the blends and the process, adapting to drier years and changing temperatures,” he told me. 

Other regions in Maipo are also focusing on ever more precise vine management. Viña Santa Rita and Viña Carmen in Alta Jahuel are examples of producers that segment by soil type and variety. “Over time, we’ve been scientifically replanting the vines, using fresher hillsides and exposures for varieties that are more sensitive to heat,” said Sebastián Labbé, who shared a map of the soils and parcels over Zoom. Labbé's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Casa Real is indeed a far more precise wine than previous incarnations.

In the realm of Cabernet Sauvignon, old vines are still producing the best and most rewarding examples. Looking at what’s happening outside of Maipo, in Curicó, for example, the 2018 San Pedro Cabernet Sauvignon Selected Collection Old Vines 1865 sets a benchmark for style and flavor. The vineyard was first planted in the 1950s in Molina (110 miles south of Santiago).

Marco de Martino un-bottling a vertical tasting of Viejas Tinajas alongside other iconic wines from the Guarilihue vineyard, which is visible in the background.

Colchagua, a Patchwork of Different Styles

By far the most varied region is Colchagua, which occupies a 60-mile strip from the Andes to the coast. A valley in the Santa Cruz region with a venerable winemaking heritage, Colchagua has a lot of different stylistic seams all along the snaking Tinguinirica River and its lush hillsides, which turn a rich, dark green in the summer. 

This region has clearly defined sectors such as Apalta and Marchigüe, while the Cordillera de la Costa offers a patchwork of different soil types and exposures. Apalta is especially varied, with winemakers exploring the wonderful range of possibilities presented by its granite soils. Results range from the classical, tried-and-tested ripe profile wines produced by Montes and Clos Apalta, to the more complex, fresher blends such as the 2017 Veramonte Neyen (a fresh wine made in a warm year).

Very different conditions are found at the bottom of the valley, where the soils are rich in clay and tend to produce sharper tannins. Viña Maquis is bottling the most successful interpretation here: “Ours is quite an old vineyard, planted in heavy soils where the vines are very much at home. We try to soften the tannins during aging while preserving the intensity,” said owner Ricardo Rivadeneira.