Cornellana Estate, Viña la Rosa, RAPEL This isolated, 135 hectare property, was purchased by Ismael Ossa and his family (owners of Viña la Rosa) in 1991. The estate had been planted with grapes in the previous century but, due to severe water shortages, had been abandoned by the previous owners. By diverting various water rights and building a new road to this long-forgotten valley, Cornellana was opened up and has become a superb viticultural area with its rocky terrain and high altitude vineyards, the lowest being planted at 350 metres. The valley has a microclimate ideal for quality grape growing with the Chardonnay always being picked two weeks before any other vineyard in the region. Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay and Carmenère do particularly well here and Cornellana’s wines always have a very clear-cut varietal flavour.
Montes, CURICÓ, CURICÓ VALLEY Under the guidance of Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, Montes began life in 1987 and today they own nearly 200 hectres of vineyard in Curicó, Apalta and Colchagua. They have recently introduced a ‘Classic Series’ (with a new label and in heavy bottles) which replaces the old Reserve wines. These are wines with a specific regional appellation. The Montes range is extensive and at all levels offers wines of great varietal flavour at realistic prices.
Miguel Torres, CURICÓ Don Miguel Torres Carbó arrived in Chile in 1979 and acquired a small Ahrex family winery in Curicó Valley. They were the first foreign firm to place our faith in this viticultural paradise, before Chile became one of the most sought-after viticultural locations in the world. Over the years their vineyard holdings have grown to reach the current 400 hectares in the Central Valley of Chile. What attracted them in particular to winemaking in Chile were the the excellent climatic conditions. Chile has well differentiated seasons with spectacular temperature shifts, greater even than 20ºC. The Andes Mountains have permafrost and the influence of the Humboldt Current play a decisive role in this "thermal leap." This sharp contrast between daytime and nightime temperatures have the potential to get the best aromas from the grapes. The absence of Phylloxera means that it is not necessary to graft vines onto American rootstock. Vines live longer in countries free of Phylloxera. State of the Art technology as well as conservation of traditional techniques have contributed to Torres's success.
Viña Valdivieso, LONTUÉ, CURICÓ VALLEY Laid back New Zealander Brett Jackson is very much settled in Chile - although he hasn't lost his lifelong affection for the All Blacks - and much of Valdivieso's success in recent years has been down to his efforts. Based in Lontue, the company has a wealth of vineyards and the quality of the terroir is shown by the Single Vineyard wines. The whole range encapsulates everything at which Chile excels: rich, vibrant flavours and smooth, glossy textures - and the wines deserve the multitude of gongs they have picked up in recent years.
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