99 POINTS
James Suckling
I love the aromas of smoked meat, dried strawberries and spices. Some resin and pine-needle undertones. Full-bodied, layered and rich with plenty of fruit and linear tannins running through the middle of the wine. Juicy and refined. Purity and greatness. Drink on release or hold.
94 POINTS
Robert Parker
FANTASTIC CRAFTSMANSHIP
As with Chardonnay, the 2017 Aconcagua Costa Las Pizarras Pinot Noir is also fresher and sharper than the 2016 I tasted next to it, despite the year being somewhat warmer. They used 20% full clusters for the fermentation in open tanks. The decantation was in 35% new French oak barrels and lasted about 14 months. This feels very young and fruit-driven, open, aromatic, bubbly and somehow less mineral than the 2016. Maybe it’s just a matter of age, but it doesn’t seem to have the same level of complexity and depth. I see it more in line with 2015.
YOU WILL GET HOME A VERY LIMITED QUANTITY OF THIS CULTWINE. Clean, beautiful and cherry colored in the glass. Lively aroma full of raspberry, rose petals, myrtle and spices. Pour it into the glass, wait five minutes and experience additional layers of wet rocks, sweet spices and soil. The cool climate is reflected in the wine, which almost exudes damp fog and chalky soil. Complex and well-structured with fine, elegant tannins, where the slate-rich terroir is really allowed to shine. A magnificent wine that delivers a long and persistent finish.
The grapes were sorted by hand before being placed directly in small, open vats. The must has undergone cold maceration at 8-10 degrees for four to five days before fermentation with 100% wild yeast. It was followed by a new maceration for up to 20 days. Daily the top layer was pressed down to keep it moist. Aged for 13 months in French oak barrels, 35% of which were new.
About Viña Errazuriz
It was the famous Don Maximiano Errázuriz who founded Viña Errázuriz in 1870. With great visions for the future and his innovative ideas, he planted the first French grape varieties in the Aconcagua Valley. In addition to the great vinous involvement, Errázuriz was also a politician and diplomat. He was born in Santiago in 1832, into a family of Basque origin that came to Chile in 1735. Since then, two members of the family have been presidents, two have been archbishops of Santiago and others have been diplomats, writers and businessmen who have contributed to the development of Chile. His great work was handed down to future generations in the family, and in just over a century his descendants consolidated the winery and placed their wines among the absolute best in the entire continent of South America. Today, Viña Errazuriz is therefore world famous for wines of very high quality.
Environmentally conscious world class
Viña Errazuriz is environmentally aware and future-oriented. In 2008, it was the first Chilean winery to introduce lightweight bottles to reduce CO2 emissions during both production and transport. Errazuriz also practices sustainable wine production, and the fields are cultivated organically as much as possible. The crowning achievement is – so far – the inauguration in 2010 of the new sustainable winery, Don Maximiano Icon Winery, in the Aconcagua Valley, as well as the official approval in 2011 as a sustainable company.
Roughly speaking, Errazuriz divides its wines into four categories
Estate Reserva: The basis of the house, where the quality is already far ahead of other Chilean wine houses’ “luxury editions”.
Reserva: From specially selected fields. A further development of the Estate Reserva wines, often with slightly longer/intense barrel ageing. Including i.a. the popular Max Reserva series.
Specialties: E.g. Single Vineyard, Wild Fermented, Organic and Late Harvest
Icon wines: Like Viñedo Chadwick, Seña, Founder’s Reserve and KAI. Belongs not only to the Chilean wine elite, but also to the world elite.
