Can you tell us the terroir secrets of Aconcagua Costa? In this area, we have some Syrah so we wanted to replicate that but also, with that system, we have quite a lot of shadow and the fruit is covered which is good to keep the freshness, the fruitness, and the acidity.Įrrazuriz also has quite an extension across the Aconcagua Valley, going toward the Costa area. Why have you planted head-trained up on the cerros (hills)? The lower part is alluvial but rough alluvial because it is the resulting erosion from the creeks and in the upper part is intrusive rocks, like granite.Īnd you’ve planted on different formations up on the hills, you have your head-trained vines. Up on the hills, are those alluvial soils or colluvial? So we have diversity around here for red because we have very good sunshine and temperature. We have different styles of soil, on the lower part we have more clay which is good for Carmenere and the upper part with less soil and more stones is very good for Petit Verdot for instance. We have a diversity of terroir all along the valley but in this particular place, we have the hills with more exposure to sun and the lower part with more soil and more depth. This is the original place where the winery started.
We are in the heart of the Errazuriz vineyard in Aconcagua, very much towards the Andes mountains, can you tell me a bit about the Aconcagua terroir here in Panquehue? Video highlights: Amanda Barnes interviews winemaker Francisco Baettig The terroir and the wines of Aconcagua Valley and Aconcagua Costa with Francisco Baettig at Viña Errazuriz A mixture of alluvial and granite rocks here with diverse slopes and exposures make for quite a patchwork of microclimates and soils to work from, as Francisco Baettig explains.Īmanda also asks Francisco to explain the key differences between Cabernet Sauvignon in Aconcagua, with Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo (and in particular their famed Chadwick vineyard!) And they touch on the identity of Syrah in Chile. You also get a lot more sunshine in inland Aconcagua, which is very good for ripening Bordeaux varieties as well as Mediterranean varieties, like Grenache and Syrah. The soil profile is quite different as well with schist and metamorphic rock.įurther inland, after the coastal range, in the Entre Cordilleras and Andes regions of Aconcagua the influence of the sea is less and therefore it’s warmer. These cool conditions make it excellent for growing cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The newest development is towards the coast, Aconcagua Costa, which is cooler because of the influence of the coastal breezes from the Pacific and some sea fog and clouds. Viña Errazuriz is a pioneer of Aconcagua valley, making wine there since 1870, and has planted vineyards right from the coast to the Andes mountains. A good mixture of crispy whites and full-bodied, intense reds are produced.Get to grips with the terroir of Aconcagua from Costa to Andes in this interview with winemaker Francisco Baettig, in the vineyards of Errazuriz, as he tells Amanda Barnes how the difference in terroir reflects in the wines. These relatively new vineyards move ever closer to the coast, often only 3 miles away from the sea. Directly south is the sub-region of San Antonio. Some of the best sites are on well-drained slopes, quite rare in Chile. Moving further east we encounter ideal conditions for red wine production. The Valle de Aconcagua itself is warmer and becomes increasingly hot further inland. The latter is now giving the Kiwi’s some serious competition! Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and in particular, Sauvignon Blanc are all successful here.
Despite being a new face in the viticultural map, (the first vineyards were planted in the mid -the 1980s) this has become a well-established source for some of the best white wines in the country. Natural beauty aside, Aconcagua includes the important sub-region of Casablanca, which contains some of Chile’s premier cool climate, coastal vineyards. Aconcagua, which happens to be in the highest mountains in South America, towering over the valley floor with its snow-capped peaks glistening in the sun. The region of Aconcagua is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Chile.
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