Chile
Chile is a well-established wine region known for producing exceptional fine wines that showcase the unique terroir of the country. The Chilean wine industry dates back to the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 1980s that Chilean wines started gaining international recognition for their high quality and value.
Today, Chile produces a range of world-class wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Syrah, among others. Some of the most famous vineyards in Chile include Concha y Toro, Viña Montes, Viña Errázuriz, Lapostolle, and Casa Silva. These vineyards are known for their commitment to sustainable and organic farming practices, as well as their use of traditional winemaking techniques.
Concha y Toro, for example, is one of the largest wine producers in Chile and produces a range of high-quality wines, including the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon, the Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Casillero del Diablo.
With a focus on sustainable farming practices, a commitment to traditional winemaking techniques, and the use of unique terroir, Chilean wines have gained increasing recognition and popularity among wine enthusiasts worldwide. From the bold and robust Cabernet Sauvignon to the elegant and complex Carmenere, Chilean wines are sure to impress even the most discerning wine connoisseurs.
Chile
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Maule Valley | 1 | 99 (WA) | د.إ1,010.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)After 20 harvests comes their first Cru, the 2018 Cru Truquilemu, which they describe as "Truqui with more stuffing." It comes from a small triangular section with a lower natural yield, with greater concentration and a darker, more brooding personality. It was fermented with more stems than the other Truquilemu and with a bit of Syrah, which adds weight, depth and texture. After fermenting pieces of the vineyard separately over many years, two distinct personalities emerged, and they have bottled them separately since 2018. Truquilemu has become more ethereal after the separation, and this is sturdier, with extra stuffing but more tension. The wine has less alcohol (12.8%, and 12.5% in 2019!!) higher acidity (7.43 grams measured in tartaric acid) and an incredible pH of 3.18, amazing parameters of freshness and restraint. This is not heavier, it just seems to have the same personality but with more layers. It was produced in a very simple and slow way, fermenting in open-top lagars with some full clusters and adding lignified stems to avoid carbonic maceration, with indigenous yeasts; malolactic took 11 months (!), and the aging in used and neutral barrel was extended over two winters. For the 2018 vintage, they filled 3,449 bottles in January 2020. |
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Maule Valley | 1 | 96+ (WA) | د.إ397.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96+)The 2020 Truquilemu Vineyard follows the path of the 2018 and 2019 with even lower alcohol (12.9%) and great freshness and acidity, a pH of 3.36 and 6.4 grams of acidity. The modus operandi was the usual: fermented in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and manual punch-down with a slow malolactic, which took 10 months to finish, and matured in used barrels over two winters. It contains some 4% Syrah. This has the ethereal quality of this vineyard, powerful but weightless. This place makes fresh wines even in warm vintages like 2020, and you feel that especially in the palate where the wine is vibrant and lively. 5,882 bottles were filled in February 2022. |
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Maule Valley | 1 | 97 (WA) | د.إ891.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)The 2019 Truquilemu Vineyard follows the path of the brilliant 2018 with moderate alcohol (13.1%) and great freshness and acidity, a tad below in refinement (within the authentic and rustic character of the zone and the wines), from the old vines on the Coastal Range mountains where the soils have lots of quartz, full of crystals on decomposed granite with silty and sandy texture. The cool place and the soil provide very fresh wines even in warmer and drier years, worked following ancestral traditions and pruned with the moon cycles but not to a modern biodynamic calendar, but rather with local custom. Tasting the different wines from the same vineyard from 2018 and 2019 was fascinating, and the wines didn't stop changing in the glass for hours. I think all these wines are going to develop nicely in bottle. 10,021 bottles were filled in January 2021. |
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Maule Valley | 1 | 98 (WA) | د.إ1,015.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)In 2018, they bottled three Cariñena-based wines from Truquilemu in Empedrado (now a DO) in Maule. The 2018 Truquilemu Vineyard, they reckon, is more focused, sultry and ethereal than ever. It comes from 1.3 hectares and fermented with more full clusters and with a dash of Syrah (around 4%) in the field blend. By taking away the part bottled as Cru Truquilemu, this has become more ethereal. The 2018, an extraordinary vintage, has less alcohol (12.8%), more flavor and, most of all, greater depth with more layers that open up with time in the glass. These wines are as much abut texture and mouthfeel as aromas and flavors, incredibly fine-grained and titillating with lots of light and energy. This is the evolution of a wine produced in the past with slightly different names, with lots 77, 67, 57 and 47. 10,127 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020 and marked with lot #97. |
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Central Valley | 1 | 99 (WA) | د.إ1,230.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (99)There are three Carignan/Cariñena wines from the same vineyard in Truquilemu in 2018, and the 2018 Vigno comes from a section further down along the creek where there's terrific drainage and thus low yield and concentration. It's Carignan with smidgens of País and Monastrell in the field blend, the grapes grown by a mall farmer by hand and horse with traditional methods of dry-farming, uncertified organic for 75+ years. Like all the rest, it fermented in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in used barrels over two winters. None of these wines are about the process, they are about the place and the year. In 2018, the wine finished with 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.2 and seven grams of acidity, parameters that talk about a wine with moderate ripeness and vibrant freshness, from a cooler year in a cool part of Maule. 3,336 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 18 (JR) | د.إ707.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (18)100% Sauvignon Blanc. The only vineyard that exists in DO Zapallar and located just 7 km from the coast. Clayey enriched soils and a dry steppe climate. Hand-harvested bunches are destemmed, cold-soaked for 12–24 hours, the must is settled for 24 h, then inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Torulaspora yeasts. Fermentation at low temperature. Aged on its lees for 6–8 months. How much pleasure! A wine with a lot of aroma, with endless layers of aromatic complexity. It has a great mouth-coating texture triggering a herbal memory. The palate is full, rich, pleasant, although with sharp acidity above the rich texture. It is very well delineated, fresh, rich, deep and concentrated. A complete Sauvignon Blanc that will make you salivate. Delicious! |
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Central Valley | 1 | 98 (JS) | د.إ1,870.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Such an amazing, floral nose with blackberries, blueberries, violets and other flowers. Full-bodied, yet so balanced and refined with vibrancy and energy. It’s really racy and exciting with a super long, beautiful finish. Tight and super polished. Needs two or three years to open more. Beauty. Drink after 2021. |
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Sur | 1 | 97 (WA) | د.إ1,710.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (97)The single-vineyard Cinsault 2021 Newk was named for musician Sonny Rollins Newk, for Parra, the wildest jazz musician of recent times. He says he finds the wine wild, full of energy and minerality. It was produced with grapes from an old vineyard in Guarilihue that is worked by horse, from vines planted on decomposed and rocky granite soils with some iron and a sandy and silty texture. It fermented with 100% full clusters after four or five days with native yeasts and a total maceration time of 55 days, then the wine matured in an oak vat for 11 months. It has 13.5% alcohol and is austere and sharp, mineral and stony. It's a bit reductive and opens up to notes of fresh blood and iodine, a little Gonon with that herbal side. The palate is phenomenal; it's deep and has grip and is mineral and intense with energy, direct and not shy. Superb. 1,537 bottles were filled in February 2022. This has a strong personality and feels very complete. |
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Aconcagua | 6 | 96 (JS) | د.إ1,005.00 | |||||
James Suckling (96)Focused nose, showing fresh red chili chocolate with cigar, truffle, mint, olive and grilled meat. This is a medium-to full-bodied red with incredibly juicy and bright fruit and fine, caressing tannins that linger in the long, creamy but precise finish. Elegant and extremely drinkable with complexity. on top of 38% malbec, 25% syrah, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 14% grenache and 8% petit verdot. The real deal. Second wine of Seña. Drink or hold. |
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Central Valley | 1 | 100 (JS) | د.إ3,460.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)The aromas of blackberry leaves and iodine are wild and exotic here with mussel shells and earth underneath. Full-bodied, tight and chewy with powerful tannins that show muscle. It’s structured and powerful. Dense and very, very deep. Don’t touch this until 2025. |
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Central Valley | 2 | 98 (JS) | د.إ3,305.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This is such a beautifully nuanced red with tobacco, dried herbs, wet earth and currants. Some leather and rose petals, too. Full-bodied and chewy, yet refined with great polish. It’s rich and intense at the same time. Very focused center palate. Broad layers of tannin and fruit. A blend of 72% cabernet sauvignon, 19% carmenere, 6% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot. Better after 2024, but already a joy to taste. |
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Central Valley | 3 | 98 (DC) | د.إ2,515.00 | |||||
Decanter (98)Founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Concha y Toro in Puente Alto, Almaviva excels with its Bordeaux-inflected reds created by Michel Friou. Its 2019 cuveé – 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carmenere, and the rest made up of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot – enjoyed an extraordinary year resulting in a fragrant nose of dark fruit, lavender, eucalyptus, blackcurrant and cigar box aromas. The refined palate has a fresh core and velvety feel. |
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Central Valley | 2 | 98 (JS) | د.إ2,425.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long. This is the 25th anniversary bottling. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 24% carmenere, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but better from 2024. |
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Central Valley | 1 | 99 (JS) | د.إ3,020.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)What fabulous perfumed aromas of lavender, blackcurrants, graphite, tapenade and hints of sweet tobacco. So complex and sophisticated. Medium- to full-bodied with tannins that have an incredible finesse and length. It goes on for minutes. It’s all about elegance and class. There’s harmony and freshness for a dry year. Seductive and so long. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 23% carmenere, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Drinkable now, but one for the cellar. Drink from 2028. |
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Central Valley | 1 | 94 (JS) | د.إ697.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94)Aromas of blueberries, blackberries and fresh flowers. Very cool and pure. Medium-bodied with fine, linear and very integrated tannins that are compressed and silky-textured. New second wine of Almaviva. Needs time to open. Try after 2024. |
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Central Valley | 3 | 94 (WA) | د.إ775.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (94)The current release of their second wine is the 2020 Epu. It's selected from the same terroir and vineyard in Puente Alto, one of the most reputed places for Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile, but from the younger vines (five- to 20-year-old vines) and harvested a little earlier to preserve acidity and fruit. In the warm and dry 2020 vintage, the wine was produced with a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Carmenere, 5% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, usually higher in Cabernet and lower in Carmenere than Almaviva. It has red ripe berries, the textbook blackberries and cassis and some creamy oak. It's ripe at 14.8% alcohol and has mellow acidity, good freshness and balance, with a pH of 3.71 and 4.8 grams of acidity (tartaric). It matured for 12 months in French barriques, 10% new and 90% second use. The wine has a bright nose with a clean note of baked "morrón" peppers intermixed with red berry compote. It has a velvety plate with the luxurious texture of the modern Bordeaux, with abundant, slightly dusty tannins. It's approachable and round but should reward some time in bottle. This is a pretty serious Epu. 75,000 bottles produced. It was bottled at the end of 2021 and the first days of 2022. This is the second vintage sold through the Place de Bordeaux négociant system. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 96 (DC) | د.إ2,125.00 | |||||
Decanter (96)Such incredible aromatics on this wine, so much going on. Wildly perfumed, like wild meadow flowers with cherry, leather, coffee and blackcurrant. Smooth and coursing, this is evocative - pulsing with life and energy. The fruit is bright yet rich with mint-edged tannins that support the fruit and overall structure. You get these lovely mature tertiary aromas on the nose but then such youth still on the palate. Feels like a great time to drink this to enjoy the plump and still lively fruit with the tannins that are supportive, smooth and slightly grippy. I love it. A decadent wine, there's power here, but shining brightly right now. Just gorgeous. The first ex-chateau back vintage release, just a few thousand bottles. |
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Aconcagua | 9 | 100 (JS) | د.إ2,455.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)Stunning aromas of blackcurrant, stone, blueberry and licorice. Also iodine. Floral. Perfumed. Full body, fantastic density of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate with such energy and focus. Touch of chewiness on the finish. A complex and complete wine that delivers a generosity with firmness. Drink in 2021 but already a classic to drink. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 100 (JS) | د.إ2,230.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)Stunning aromas of blackcurrant, stone, blueberry and licorice. Also iodine. Floral. Perfumed. Full body, fantastic density of fruit and ripe tannins. It goes on for minutes on the palate with such energy and focus. Touch of chewiness on the finish. A complex and complete wine that delivers a generosity with firmness. Drink in 2021 but already a classic to drink. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 98 (JS) | د.إ1,860.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)What a beautifully maturing red Bordeaux blend in which delicate toasty oak, plus graphite and herbal complexity almost ideally complement the complex red-fruit aromas. Fantastic structure on the medium- to full-bodied palate thanks to the abundance of fine-grained tannins. Terrific interplay of restrained ripeness and cool reductive character at the extremely long finish. A cuvee of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 20% malbec, 12% petit verdot, 8% carmenere and 5% cabernet franc. Drink or hold. 20th Anniversary Berlin Tasting Event, February 2024. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 99 (JS) | د.إ1,770.00 | |||||
James Suckling (99)The aromas of blackberries, cedar, sandalwood and black tea are compelling. Black olives. Rosemary and sage undertones. Full-bodied, rich and powerful Seña with impressive and powerful tannins, yet harmony and balance. Fruit-forward. Lightly chewy. Fresh and energetic wine in a hot year. Broad-shouldered. Drink after 2022. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 100 (JS) | د.إ1,785.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)This is a very thoughtful Seña that shows unique aromas of warm earth, mushrooms and conifer, turning to dark berries and black olives. The palate is more glamorous with ultra-fine tannins that envelop your palate. Shows power and vibrancy at the end. Toned muscles. It’s a very intellectual wine that harkens back to the 2015. Blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 18% malbec, 15% carmenere, 7% cabernet franc and 5% merlot. |
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Aconcagua | 14 | 100 (JS) | د.إ1,830.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)This is a very thoughtful Seña that shows unique aromas of warm earth, mushrooms and conifer, turning to dark berries and black olives. The palate is more glamorous with ultra-fine tannins that envelop your palate. Shows power and vibrancy at the end. Toned muscles. It’s a very intellectual wine that harkens back to the 2015. Blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 18% malbec, 15% carmenere, 7% cabernet franc and 5% merlot. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 98 (WA) | د.إ2,130.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021. |
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Aconcagua | 1 | 98 (WA) | د.إ3,400.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021. |
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Aconcagua | 10 | 98 (WA) | د.إ1,595.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2019 Seña was produced with a Bordeaux blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Malbec, 15% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot with the Chilean character of the high percentage of Carmenere. Most of the volume fermented in stainless steel with some 10% in concrete vats, and the final blend matured for 22 months in French oak barrels, 80% of them new, and 10% in Stockinger vats. It's 13.5% alcohol and has good acidity and freshness, coming through as medium-bodied, elegant and balanced. This is incredibly elegant, subtle and harmonious even at this early stage. It has floral aromas, notes of orange peel, a touch of creamy sweet spices and great freshness. The palate is medium-bodied, seamless and pure, with pungent flavors and a soft texture. It's long, clean, defined and super tasty. I feel this wine is getting better and better by the vintage. The grapes were picked quite early, and that helped to contain the ripeness and seems to have been a great decision. There was also an exception in the Panquehue zone where the Seña vines are, where the summer was cooler than the average, so quite different to many other regions in Chile. 100,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2021. |
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Aconcagua | 29 | 100 (JS) | د.إ1,500.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)An extremely pure and elegant vintage for Seña. This is really fresh, nimble and floral on the nose with subtle cherries, plums, redcurrants and wild lavender. More red fruit here with lots of layers and just a touch of sweet spice. Very discreet and subtle, with the elegance, freshness and poise you’d expect from 2021. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with a bit more flesh and depth if you compare it with Roca de Seña, their second wine. The impeccable tannins show the supreme quality of the fruit this year. Persistent, seamless finish, but comes in a subtle way. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 27% malbec, 17% carmenere and 6% petit verdot. Effortlessly drinkable now, but it will age beautifully. |
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