ust 20 kilometers from the center of Santiago, at about 600 meters above sea level and at the foot of the Andes mountain range, is one of the best terroirs for the production of this variety in Chile.
When talking about Chilean wine, it is impossible not to mention the most classic valley in Chile, the Maipo Valley. Located at the foot of the Andes Mountain range and just about 20 kilometres from Santiago City Centre, this wine region has 70% of vineyards of the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. There, this red grape variety found unmatched conditions to express some of the most elegant wines in the country. The subregions within this valley are the most talked about, including Puente Alto and Pirque, whose wines are distinguished by their tannins, smoothness, texture, and their incredible expression of fresh and spiced fruits.
At the foot of the mountain range: Alto Maipo
This is the area closest to the Andes Mountain range, which with its cold breezes means that during the grape ripening period, temperatures are not so high, especially at the evening. This marked temperature fluctuation between day and night prolongs the ripening of the grapes, concentrating and intensifying their flavours. Although it also allows the grape clusters to sometimes concentrate a little less sugar.
Puente Alto and Pirque
Within this area, at the foot of the mountain range, the Puente Alto vineyards, which are located at over 650 metres above sea level, began their history at the end of the 19th century when Don Manuel Antonio Tocornal began to plant French vines in a field that he would call Tocornal. It was precisely in this place, in 1972, that the first Marques de Casa Concha wines were produced and a large part of the grapes that today give rise to Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon continue to grow. A wine that faithfully expresses what a Cabernet Sauvignon from Alto Maipo is, whose fruit is reminiscent of cassis, sour cherry and red plum, fresh in style, but with a lot of structure and very refined tannins. The other percentage of this wine comes from Pirque, from a field located 570 meters above sea level, whose rocky and stony soils of alluvial origin, highly permeable thanks to the gravel, allow excellent drainage that, with the influence of the mountain range, create the best climate for this variety.
Another important characteristic of Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is its aging. Since in addition to 60% of aging in French oak barrels, the other 40% of this wine spends 16 months in 5,000-liter foudres. The idea behind it is to give more air to the wine and prominence to the fruit that is born in Alto Maipo, distinguishing it from the oaky character that barrels can often provide. The result is a wine that tastes much fresher, and can be drunk now or even in the next 10 years. Without a doubt, a wine that should not be missing from your cellar.
