Chile – the natural choice

“Premium Chile”Michael Cox

Europe Director – Wines of ChileMoscow - 1st March 2012

Steven Spurrierwriting in Decanter Magazine – Sept 08

• “I believe Chile to be the most exciting wine region in the southern hemisphere”

Andes mountains created by the Pacific and Nazca tectonic

plates

Chile• A land of extremes• Natural and beautiful• 4,300 kms long• 150 kms wide• Arid Atacama desert to the north• Cold Pacific ocean to the west• Snow capped Andes mountains to the east• Glaciers in Patagonia to the south• A ‘garden of Eden’ in the centre

• Chile – the natural choice………

An old new-world wine country• Wine has been made in Chile since the

mid 16th century• Vines were brought by the Spanish

‘conquistadors’ – mainly País• The ‘classic’ vine varieties such as

Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc were brought from France in the middle of 19th century

• Carmenère arrived from Bordeaux in mid 19th century (before phylloxera) but was not properly identified until 1994

• Although best known for its red wines, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenère, some of Chile’s most exciting wines are now from Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and especially Syrah

Chilean Vineyard Plantings 2011 Main Varieties  

 

Total Vineyard Area: Cabernet Sauvignon: Camenere:111,525 ha 40,728 ha 8,827 ha   Total Red Varieties: Chardonnay: Syrah:80,933 ha 13,082 ha 6,027 ha   Total White Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc: Pinot Noir:30,592 ha 12,159 ha 2,884 ha   Red / White Varieties: Merlot: Other Varieties:73% / 27% 10,041 ha 17,774 ha

Special characteristics• Ideal climate – warm days & cool nights• Long growing season• Diverse topography and fertile soils• Low average rainfall – and mostly in winter• No phylloxera• Ability to practice near organic farming• High levels of antioxidants and flavanols• Pure & natural water for irrigation• High levels of investment in winemaking and viticulture• Stylistically, a blend of ‘old world’ and ‘new world’

Chile – a modern & progressive country

• Chile exports over 75% of its wine production and is the world’s 5th largest exporter of wine

• Exports in 2011 total 75 million cases to 150 countries with a value of US$ 1.7 billion.

• The top 10 export markets for Chile are the UK, USA, Holland, China, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Denmark, and Ireland

The capital city Santiago

Total Chilean wine exports 1996-2011

Основной

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$0

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

$1,400,000

$1,600,000

$1,800,000

Chile - total exports to all markets Value (000's USD$)

Chile - total exports to all markets Volume (000's litres)

Source: S.A.G. Govt of Chile

CHILE EXPORTS – BOTTLED WINE 2011

Source: Vinos de Chile

EXPORTS OF BOTTLED WINE BY COUNTRY PERIOD JANUARY 2011 - DECEMBER 2011

RANK COUNTRY CASES US$ FOB PRICE CASES US$ FOB PRICE CASES US$ FOB PRICE

1º USA 7,571,771 208,727,931 27.57 7,241,005 213,386,077 29.47 -4.4 2.2 6.9

2º UK 10,292,916 213,138,523 20.71 9,458,398 212,404,666 22.46 -8.1 -0.3 8.5

3º HOLLAND 2,748,616 73,966,381 26.91 3,164,349 91,128,641 28.80 15.1 23.2 7.0

4º BRASIL 2,728,790 70,733,193 25.92 3,088,181 89,497,840 28.98 13.2 26.5 11.8

5º CANADA 2,146,149 81,933,968 38.18 2,123,432 85,828,116 40.42 -1.1 4.8 5.9

6º JAPAN 2,404,253 62,616,473 26.04 2,742,659 73,310,088 26.73 14.1 17.1 2.6

7º CHINA 1,232,845 37,378,055 30.32 1,911,228 65,265,819 34.15 55.0 74.6 12.6

8º IRELAND 1,443,711 42,652,151 29.54 1,479,275 46,090,676 31.16 2.5 8.1 5.5

9º DENMARK 1,461,577 46,446,100 31.78 1,391,111 45,685,275 32.84 -4.8 -1.6 3.3

10º GERMANY 1,482,042 41,215,381 27.81 1,300,302 39,789,912 30.60 -12.3 -3.5 10.0

11º RUSSIA 1,374,515 32,441,986 23.60 1,360,135 33,417,623 24.57 -1.0 3.0 4.1

12º MEXICO 1,179,650 30,552,185 25.90 1,176,375 32,100,689 27.29 -0.3 5.1 5.4

13º BELGIUM 923,468 28,540,515 30.91 871,841 29,767,226 34.14 -5.6 4.3 10.4

14º SOUTH KOREA 592,988 22,388,559 37.76 696,237 27,341,923 39.27 17.4 22.1 4.0

15º FINLAND 874,128 25,040,715 28.65 860,220 27,073,442 31.47 -1.6 8.1 9.8

16º SWEDEN 674,283 22,894,654 33.95 671,168 23,465,662 34.96 -0.5 2.5 3.0

17º VENEZUELA 451,250 10,976,799 24.33 716,805 20,027,120 27.94 58.8 82.4 14.8

18º COLOMBIA 542,429 15,583,677 28.73 606,582 17,563,906 28.96 11.8 12.7 0.8

19º FRANCE 271,620 13,809,844 50.84 241,215 14,796,951 61.34 -11.2 7.1 20.7

20º POLAND 515,659 12,541,124 24.32 538,809 14,175,619 26.31 4.5 13.0 8.2

TOTAL ALL COUNTRIES 47,327,145 1,277,240,079 26.99 48,728,829 1,414,698,692 29.03 3.0 10.8 7.6

JANUARY 2010 - DECEMBER 2010 JANUARY 2011 - DECEMBER 2011 VARIATION %

Latitude comparison

Chile’s unique geography

Unique terroirs and conditions

• Colluvial and alluvial granitic soils and stony river beds from the relatively young Andes Mountains

• Very old sea bed sediments created the coastal range of mountains with much older soils

• Humboldt current flowing up the coast from Antarctica creates cold sea and cooler coastal temperatures

• Chile’s vineyard areas are completely free from the vine pest phylloxera thus all vines are growing on their original rootstocks

• The snow-melt from the mighty Andes mountain range provides an abundant natural water supply for vineyard irrigation

Misión

Alto Jahuel - Maipo

Misión

Pumanque – coastal Colchagua

Chile’s wine Regions• Elqui • Limarí & Choapa• Aconcagua• Casablanca• San Antonio (including Leyda)• Maipo• Cachapoal• Colchagua• Curicó• Maule • Itata• Bío Bío & Malleco

Rapel Valley

Central Valley

Misión

Region Heat Summation (°C Days)

Diurnal Range (°C)

Average Minimum (°C)

Average Maximum (°C)

Bordeaux(France)

1485 11.4 11.2 22.6

Coonawarra (Australia)

1399 14.4 9.5 23.8

Pumanque(Colchagua, Chile)

1513 14.2 10.1 21.9

Alto Jahuel(Maipo, Chile)

1637 17.6 8.9 26.5

Apalta(Colchagua, Chile)

1781 16.5 10.2 26.7

Red wine regions - COMPARISONS

Misión

Region Distance to

coast kms

Heat summatio

n (°C days)

Diurnal range (°C)

Limarí 40 1741 12.2

Maipo Alto 90 1637 17.6

Casablanca 30 1245 17.2

Pumanque 30 1513 14.2

Leyda 15 1327 11.2

San Antonio 5 1145 10.6

Dijon - Burgundy

1172 11.4

Cooler areas – white wine regions (and Pinot Noir)

Santiago – Bío Bío 550 kms

Santiago – Elqui 470 kms

Chile’s ‘extreme’ regions

Santiago – Osorno 900 kms

Santiago – Huasco 660 kms

Wine growing areas stretch1,500 kms from north to south

Chile’s exciting regions for the future• Huasco – almost into the Atacama Desert – plantings of Sauv Blanc & Pinot Noir• Elqui – cool but very sunny, good light – ideal for Syrah and Sauv Blanc• Limarí – granite & limestone – great minerality for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah• Aconcagua Costa (Concón & Zapallar) cool with some schist soils – potential for SB, 

Chard, and Syrah• Leyda – marine clay & granite soils with random limestone – very cool with Ocean 

influence• Coastal Colchagua (Paredones, Lolol)• Maule – Cauquenes – old vine / dry grown Carignan, Malbec, Petit Verdot – and 

Empedrado (Miguel Torres project)• Bío Bío – schist and old granite and some quartz – more European climate – 

potential for Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chard• Malleco (Traiguén) – cool & wetter – like Central Otago• Temuco and Lago Ranco – experimental plantings in far south –  possibility for 

sparkling?

some quotes....Ronan Sayburn - director of wine and spirits, Hotel du Vin group“I love Chilean wine – especially now they’re planting more onto the hillsides and 

starting to make some really exciting stuff. In Leyda and Casablanca they’re making a new style of Sauvignon Blanc which I think is really unique, and way down south they’re starting to make Gewurztraminer, which is extremely exciting.”

Gerard Basset MW and Master Sommelier - co-owner, Hotel TerraVina, Hampshire“There’s a very enthusiastic bunch of producers in Chile now and a real buzz when 

you go and visit the vineyards. The quality of the wine, not just the classic Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but even some of the Syrah and Pinot Noir is very high, and it tends to be extremely good value.”

Martin Lam - chef-patron, Ransomes Dock, Battersea, London“Five years ago if you’d have asked me was a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc a ‘must have’ 

on a contemporary wine list in the same way as a Marlborough, I would’ve said ‘no’, but in the Decanter world wine awards this year a Chilean Sauvignon won the overall SB trophy. In the last 10 years it’s like someone took the brake off and Chile is running away with forward-thinking wine-making.”

High scores in influential US publications in 2011 (Robert Parker and others)

95 points:• Concha y Toro Carmin de Peumo 

Carmenere 200793 points:• Cono Sur 20 Barrels Sauvignon 

Blanc 2009• Almaviva 2007• Santa Rita Casa Real 2007• San Pedro 1865 Syrah 2007• Casa Marin Syrah 2008• Emiliana Gé 2006• CyT Don Melchor 2007

92 points:• Montes M 2007• Matetic EQ Syrah 2008• Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2007• Domus Aurea 2008• Errazuriz La Cumbre 2008• Errazuriz Kai 2008• Errazuriz Don Maximiano 2008• Ventisquero Pangea 2007• Cousiño Macul Finis Terrae 2007• Santa Ema Catalina 2007• Miguel Torres Superunda 2005

A MILESTONE FOR THE CHILEAN WINE INDUSTRY

Rene Gabriel / Eduardo Chadwick / Steven Spurrier

January 2004

13 OCT, 2008

23 JAN, 2004

10 MAY, 2010

8 JULY, 2008

7 JULY, 2008

14 JUNE, 2006

7 NOV, 2005

14 MAY, 2008

5 MAY, 2009

6 MAY, 2009

5 OCT, 2006

The Berlin Tasting around the world

QUALITY EQUALS PRICE?

The wine is an assemblage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The grapes are picked from 63 hectares within the Puente Alto Vineyard and the wine is made in its own bespoke beautiful winery.

Cabernet Sauvignon 73%Carmenère 22%Cabernet Franc 4%Merlot 1%

The Puente Alto region of the Maipo Valley where the soil and sub-soils all favour Cabernet Sauvignon plantings, is often regarded as Chile's finest area for this variety. The soils are stoney and with careful ploughing we reduce the weeds and encourage the roots to grow deep in to the soil.

97% Cabernet Sauvignon3% Cabernet Franc

The soils are very stony, making them highly permeable and free-draining.  The vines which are 20 years old on average yield very low amounts of small berries, which are highly concentrated in colour and fruit flavours.

• Chile’s original modern fine wine (21 consecutive vintages)

• Puente Alto Vineyard - Alto Maipo at 650m altitude – deep stony silt alluvial soils - nutrient poor & mineral rich. Planted in 1976

• Average yield 3.5 tonnes per hectare

It is also the first ever Chilean Carmenère to receive the unprecedented score of 97 points in The Wine Advocate in June 2007. Winemaker Ignacio Recabarren chose Block 32 in the Peumo vineyard for its unique terroir, which he believes is ideal for this grape variety. Carmin de Peumo is made predominantly with Carmenère grapes with the addition of a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. After fermentation, the wine spends approximately 20 months in new French oak barriques.

90% Carmenère7.5% Cabernet Sauvignon2.5% Cabernet Franc

Block 32 has deep clay soils, alluvial in origin. The clay helps to retain water, controlling the vigour of the vine and allowing the grapes a long, controlled ripening period.

Casas del Bosque Pequeñas Producciones Sauvignon Blanc 2011Casablanca Valley

• All fruit was sourced from our own vineyard - located within the coolest, westernmost reaches of the Casablanca Valley. Sourced from 8 year old hillside blocks of clone 107 planted on a red clay mixed with decomposed granite. Cropped at an average of 5.5 tonnes per hectare 

• Harvest was carried out by hand on the 7th and 15th of April, 2011. . • 80% of the blend was racked to stainless steel tanks, inoculated with selected 

yeasts and ultra-cool fermented (reaching temperatures as low as 8ºC at the peak of the fermentation). Following fermentation this component was aged for 2 months on gross lees (without stirring) before blending. The remaining 20% of the blend was fermented with selected yeasts in new (5%) and second use (15%) French oak barrels with temperatures peaking at 20ºC

•  Post fermentation the barrels were stirred weekly in order to encourage lees break-down and the subsequent pick-up of “yeasty” characters in the wine. After two months the barrel component was blended with the tank fermented component

• Intense notes of grapefruit, lime, white pepper and fresh ginger dominate on the nose. In the mouth flavours of quince and white peach are backed up by smokey notes leading to a flinty, mineral finish with just a hint of green jalapeño chilli. A bright, zesty acidity imparts excellent structure and length.

• Alcohol: 13.7%• pH: 3.39 • Total Acidity: 6.4 g/L • Residual Sugar: 2.6 g/L 

Terrunyo means 'terroir' in Spanish and these wines are made from very specific blocks within Concha y Toro's single vineyards. The vineyards have been meticulously mapped to identify every feature; including location, orientation and soil structure. Only then are the best blocks chosen for each Terrunyo varietal. Both the back and front labels show the exact position of these blocks within the vineyards.

85% Carmenère15% Cabernet Sauvignon

The clay which is so prolific in the soils of Peumo retain a lot of water, this is ideal for controlling plant growth and therefore stemming production of buds and grapes.

Carmenère

Technical Details:• 85% Carmenère, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, from grapes 

picked in the Rapel Valley, Peumo Vineyard - Further away from the slopes of the Andes Mountains the vineyards of Rapel are influenced predominantly by the Cachapoal River and Lake Rapel.

• Made by Ignacio Recabarren

• Manually harvested between 8th – 22nd May

• Aged for 19 months in French oak barrels (70% new) with medium toast

Awards & Accolades – all 2007

vintage

• 95 points – Wine & Spirits

• 92 points – Wine Enthusiast

• 94 points & Best Carmenère – Descorchados 2011

• 92 points – Wine Spectator (ranked 63rd in top 100 of the World)

2008 Vintage:

• Slightly warmer than the previous 2007 vintage the grapes were consistently good weight and with a well balanced structure. The winter of 2007 was the coldest Chile had seen for the past forty years with lots of frosty days and less rainfall than the average. These frosts led to some damage on the vines for some varieties in some areas. Vines began budding later than usual years due to the harsh winter, and once the buds had appeared they were prolific, which led to extensive working on the vines de-budding. After the harsh winter October and November were unseasonably warm, this speeded up the process between bud-break and blooming of the vines. 

Tasting Notes:

• This is a luxurious Carmenère, elegant and complex with damsons and plums abundant on the nose, ripe red fruit and tobacco box, mouth filling with a good structure and firm tannins.

Concha y Toro Terrunyo Carmenere Cachapoal Valley

20 Barrels Limited Edition is Cono Sur’s top range of wines, The first vintage was released in 1996, when the winemaking team decided to put aside 20 of the very best barrels of Casablanca Pinot Noir from that year, hence the name. The range has gradually expanded to include other classic grape varieties, when winemaker, Adolfo Hurtado, feels he has found the ideal vineyard to produce the best example fruit possible for each variety.

93% Syrah7% Cabernet Sauvignon

The alluvial soils of the Los Almendros vineyard are low fertility, which means the vines roots have to bury deep for nutrients. This additional stress on the vine results in a greater concentration of flavour.

Syrah

Technical Details:

• Los Almendros Estate, Limarí Valley – alluvial and stony soils which are low in fertility. Gentle climates and warm during summer.

• 92% Syrah 8% Cabernet Sauvignon

• Made by Adolfo Hurtado, Chief Winemaker and General Manager for Cono Sur.

• Manual harvest 20th May, yield 6 tonnes per hectare

• Aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

2008 vintage:

• Slightly warmer than the previous 2007 vintage the grapes were consistently good weight and with a well balanced structure. The winter of 2007 was the coldest Chile had seen for the past forty years with lots of frosty days and less rainfall than the average. Vines began budding later than usual years due to the harsh winter, and once the buds had appeared they were prolific, which led to extensive working on the vines de-budding. After the harsh winter October and November were unseasonably 

warm, this speeded up the process between bud-break and blooming of the vines.

Tasting Notes:

• This highly complex Syrah is filled with a remarkable aromatic combination of black cherries, flowers, blackberries and spices, followed by a beautifully rounded and soft taste. A long lasting, elegant and enigmatic wine; an excellent choice for barbecued meats, especially  pepperoni and spicy sausage.

Cono Sur 20 Barrels SyrahLimarí Valley

The Perez Cruz winery in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the Alto Maipo Valley

Alto Maipo Valley

600 metres above sea level

• Soil is of alluvial origin caused by rock degradation by the rivers and streams resulting in more rounded stones, sand and clay.

• In the higher vineyards, in the Andes foothills the soil is coluvial - produced by ancient landslides -more angular stones with clay loam soils

• The stones give a great contribution of minerals to the soil and provide good drainage of rainwater

Perez Cruz LIGUAI 2008

LIGUAI  is a blend between Syrah, Carmenère and C. Sauvignon, and is the name of the state where the winery is located; its means “guess what” in Mapuche language.The grapes were hand picked on the  last week of April,  looking  for  the right  tannin and flavour  ripeness.  Small-lot of grapes was made  to  reveal unique characteristics of every parcel.  The  grapes were  selected  and  carefully  crushed and  they  continued a  cold  soak maceration during four days at 10º C. Hand pumping-over was done to make soft tannins extraction during fermentation and total period of maceration was of 30 days. Malolactic  fermentation undergoes in French new one uses oak barrels. Total barrel aging: 16months.The complex, elegant aromas await discovery: black berries, pepper, cedar wood and chocolate, mingled with light toasted note from de French oak. Its is a concentrated wine  with a solid tannic structure and a long, persistent finish.Denomination of Origin: Maipo Andes ValleyVarieties: 40% Syrah, 30% ,C. Sauvignon , 30% Carmenère.Filtering: Very light, avoiding over processing.Origin: Liguai Estate, Huelquén, Paine, Maipo Valley.Yield: 3.5 tons/ha.Harvest: Hand picked.Alc Vol%: 14.5%Total Acidity: 3.50 gr/l Sulfuric acid.PH: 3,43            Recommended Serving Temperatures: 18º C

Santa RitaAlto Jahuel

• Climate and Soil:• The climate is sub-humid 

Mediterranean. Rainfall is primarily concentrated in the winter with an annual average of 500 mm. Spring is cold and dry and the summers are hot with temperatures that surpass 30ºC. The influence of the Andes Mountains produces a daily temperature variation of more than 15ºC.

• Temperature begins to drop toward the end of the summer, which allows the grapes to ripen gradually while maintaining good fruit concentration and reaching proper maturation of the tannins.

• Soils are of alluvial origin with an 80-100 cm (31.5-39.4 in) layer of loam atop a layer of silt, which ensures proper drainage of rainwater and deep root growth.

Misión

CASA REAL 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2008Alto Jahuel – Maipo Alto Valley

Vinification:Classic in every sense. The hand-picked grapes were inspected and selected upon reaching the cellar. Alcoholic fermentation took place with selected yeasts to ensure complete fermentation. Colour and tannin extraction was achieved through manual pumpovers and determined by tastings to respect the characteristics of the grapes and to allow them to reach their maximum potential.The wine was aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation occurred in the barrels. The wine was not filtered.

Technical Details:• pH: 3.53• Total Acidity: 3.6 g/lt• Alcohol: 14.7 % Vol• Residual: 2.4 g/lt• Bottling Date: May 5, 2010• Ageing Potential: More than 20 years

Viva Chile!