Chile in a Case
Here's how a wine lover should look at a map of Chile: as one long strip of great terroir.
Almost the whole country is "coastal." No place in Chile is more than about 200 miles from the ocean, and most vineyards are considerably closer than that. There are warm pockets to ripen Bordeaux grapes, which dominate Chile's exports, but most of the country is cool enough to make fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
French vintners have understood the country's obvious viticultural appeal for generations: the soils are diverse, the climate is moderated by the ocean and the Andes Mountains, and most of the country is dry enough that rain at harvest is rarely a problem. But many of us take these points for granted because Chile was long dominated by big wineries that mastered mass-production almost too well. It can be hard to get people to buy a $200 wine from the same place that makes the world's best $7 wines.
In the last 20 years, small, independent wineries have made Chile exciting for aficionados. They have discovered a treasure chest of century-old dry-farmed vineyards in regions that weren't being taken seriously enough. And favorable currency rates put the country's best wines within reach.
To choose 12 wines to represent all of Chile, I want to acknowledge many things the country does well, including high-end Bordeaux-style reds that can play in any collectors' gathering and idiosyncratic wines made from interesting old vineyards. All of these are worth seeking out.
Ribera del Lago 'Laberinto' Pinot Noir, Maule Valley
In a country full of interesting wineries, Laberinto might be the most intriguing. Owner Rafael Tirado used the money he made as a consulting winemaker to plant on land made mostly of volcanic ash far from any other vineyards. Tirado, whose identical twin brother makes Concha y Toro's highest-end Cabernet, is very hands-on, tending the vines, making the wines and even applying the labels. "Laberinto" means "labryinth:" Tirado planted his vines in a maze because he doesn't see the need for machine harvesters. His Sauvignon Blanc is world-class and it was tempting to include it, but Laberinto Pinot Noir is also special: like a Grand Cru Burgundy at an entry-level Bourgogne price. It's lively, full of wild cherry and sea air notes: a beautiful wine, and perhaps the best Pinot Noir from a country that produces a lot of pretty good ones. Average price: $19.
Casa Silva 1912 Vines Sauvignon Gris, Colchagua Valley
In most cases, grape varieties went out from France and colonized the world. Here's a rare case of a grape going the other way. Sauvignon Gris is a colorful mutation of Sauvignon Blanc that was discovered in Casa Silva's vineyards in 1912. It's now trendy in Bordeaux to add Sauvignon Gris to white blends for a little more weight on the palate and aromatic complexity. This 100 percent varietal version from the original source is fresh, approachable and a little more round on the palate than most Sauvignon Blancs. It's elegant, especially on the finish. It's Chile's gift back to France. Average price: $18.
Viñedo Chadwick, Maipo Valley
For many wine lovers, Chile means Cabernet Sauvignon. You can't create a case without at least one Cab, so I decided to pick perhaps the best in the country. This wine, the peak of Errazuriz's portfolio, is sold through Bordeaux negociants rather than normal import channels. You can blame them for the high price, but it's hard to argue with the quality. This is an elegant wine, with great balance and layers of flavor, in part from a small amount of Petit Verdot. The 15-acre Chadwick vineyard on the outskirts of suburban Santiago has tremendous neighbors: Almaviva, and the vineyard Concha y Toro uses for its top-end Don Melchor Cabernet. Average price: $260.
Montes Purple Angel Carmenere, Colchagua Valley
We're just getting to know what good Carmenere tastes like. Carmenere missed out on becoming to Chile what Malbec is to Argentina. The stories are nearly identical: both are minor authorized grapes in Bordeaux that had been diminishing in France, but found better terroir in South America. Chileans mistook Carmenere for Merlot for decades. Soon after the error was discovered, cheap Carmeneres flooded the US market and weren't very good, coloring perception of the grape. Carmenere ripens very late, which means it needs warmer spots, smaller crops and fine-wine treatment rather than mass production. This is why it disappeared from Bordeaux (although with global warming, it might re-emerge). If you want to taste a good Carmenere you have to spend a little money. Here's a good choice: a well-balanced wine with plenty of dark fruit and good complexity (it usually includes a little Petit Verdot). Montes plays Gregorian chants to the barrels all day long. Does it help? "When I'm having a hard day at harvest and I'm hot and sweaty and irritated, I come in here and I feel much better," says winemaker Gavin Taylor. Maybe the wine does too. Average price: $65.
Viu Manent Secreto Sauvignon Blanc
Unlike Argentina, which has cast its lot with Malbec, Chile has not been tied to a signature grape variety. Perhaps this is because the most consistently good variety from Chile is relatively humble on the world stage: Sauvignon Blanc. You can't find better cheap Sauvignon Blanc anywhere. Spend a little more and you can't find better Sauvignon Blanc anywhere, period. I needed to include at least one Sauvignon Blanc in this case and it was a difficult choice, because so many wineries make good ones. This wine spends three months on the lees and tastes like eating a salted grapefruit: very intense and refreshing. Average price: $13.
Santa Ema Amplus Carignan Old Vines, Cachapoal Valley
In 2017 wildfires damaged one of the world's viticultural treasures: Carignan vines in Maule Valley that were planted in the 1800s. Carignan is usually planted because it produces big crops but the wines are indifferent when the vines are young. But true old-vine Carignan is amazing, producing wines of great depth and complexity without heaviness. Maule Valley was left alone to make cheap domestic wine for decades until younger winemakers began to realize how exciting the wines can be. I'm not sure which wines will be affected by the 2017 fires, but I would urge you to add some old-vine Maule Carignan to your cellar, because once it's gone ... This is a delightful wine, with aromas of dark fruit, earth and coffee, and tasting of red and black berries, with great depth of flavor. Average price: $23.
J. Bouchon 'Pais Salvaje', Maule Valley
This is one of the most interesting wines in the world. PaÃs (called Mission in California) was brought to the Americas by conquistadors from its home on the Canary Islands. It was prized for big crops but young vines generally yield big berries that usually make watery wines. This was the grape of Chilean home winemakers who just wanted a light red to drink chilled. Wineries are now doing some interesting things with century-old PaÃs vines, but this wine goes beyond that: it's made from PaÃs vines growing wild in a riverbed. Not being farmed, the vines produce smaller berries that create a spicy, complex and interesting wine. There's no way to increase production on this wine, so grab one whenever you can. Average price: $20.
This joint venture project between Baron Philippe Rothschild and Concha y Toro is the most French wine in the country. It's a fairly large single property in the country's most heralded area for Cabernet, and it's used to make one estate wine with a small amount of a second label. It's a Bordeaux blend of up to five varieties, although here it differs from France in that the second grape, behind Cabernet Sauvignon, is Carmenere: authorized in Bordeaux but rarely used. It's expensive because like its neighbor Chadwick, it's distributed by Bordeaux negociants. It's also delicious and ageworthy, offering the tannin structure and complexity you expect from Bordeaux with the riper fruit you expect from the New World. Average price: $147.
Garage Wine Co. Carignan (but any one will do)
I should pick specific wines for this case, but the nature of Canadian expat Derek Mossman's Garage Wine Co. makes that challenging. But his wines are some of the best AND most authentic coming from Chile, so I have to include one. Mossman moved to Chile for a temporary job as a ski guide, then met and married a winemaker. They were among the first to appreciate the country's treasure of 150-year-old dry-farmed vineyards. He could pick and choose the very best to make single-vineyard wines that show how great old-vine Garnacha, Carignan, Cinsault and PaÃs can be. The vineyards are all small so the bottlings sell out quickly. I can't pick just one because even a small online buzz for that wine would make it unavailable. Plus, while the wines are very different, there's no flagship: most are delicious and interesting. Mossman is a co-founder of MOVI, the group of independent vintners that has shown the world Chile is more than just mass-produced cheap wine. Average price of the Carignan is $32 but may change for other wines.
Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta, Apalta
An heir to the family behind Grand Marnier moved to Chile with her husband in 1994 and began Lapostolle winery. Clos Apalta was their top-end wine; now it has its own winery and production team. A big difference between Clos Apalta and other top-end Bordeaux blends is that Carmenere is usually the lead grape at about 50 percent with smaller amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This gives it a spiciness that is rare in top-end Bordeaux reds: French with a Chilean accent, or the other way around? Average price: $108.
Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay, Limari Valley
In building this case, I have to acknowledge the country's largest winery, Concha y Toro, which has been delivering strong quality-price ratio wines for decades. Concha y Toro has an enormous product line but for me the best value is in the $20-ish Marques de Casa Concha range. With oceans of fruit to choose from, winemakers have several lower-priced brands to place grapes they aren't in love with, which means these Marques wines are consistently good. I really like what they've done with the Chardonnay, transforming it from the heavy style favored by a previous generation to a fresher, more modern version. Average price: $19.
El Viejo Almacen 'Huaso de Sauzal' Garnacha, Maule Valley
In choosing one case of wine to represent Chile, I have to navigate between the old and the new. Here's a wine that represents both. Huaso de Sauzal is the most basic winery I have ever seen: grapes go in big open-top vats. Everything is manual; the winery – a converted old stone house, and I mean old – doesn't even have electricity in every room. The grapes come from ancient vines and little is done to them other than picking and the occasional punchdown. It's like a winery from the Middle Ages – and that makes it very popular with modern sommeliers. The last time I was in Santiago, this is one of the wines I most wanted to buy, but now, thanks to the magic of the Internet, you can order it by doing something they cannot do at the winery: just push a button. Average price: $29.
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