2016 - Vinedo Chadwick, Maipo Valley

The price of the 2016 Viñedo Chadwick seems to be going through the roof, and so does the quality. This is a unique, classical Maipo Cabernet that is marketed separately and sold through the négociants in Bordeaux, the same as with Seña, rather than through the regular importers. Sourced from 15 hectares planted 26 years ago (in 1992), the grapes fermented in small stainless steel and concrete vats and matured in 2,500-liter oak vats and 225-liter barriques. It has 3% Petit Verdot and is remarkably low in alcohol at 13%, with a lot of freshness and acidity. This follows the line of change that started in 2015, with more freshness and harmony, and for the first time, it includes a small percentage of Petit Verdot that was planted around 2007. The yields are low, and the grapes ripened nicely before the rains that complicated the end of the harvest. 2016 is a cool year that resulted in a slow and perfect ripening of the grapes. This is now a very elegant wine, getting closer to the style of Seña. Complex, layered, fresh and tasty, it has very fine tannins and is nicely structured but terribly elegant at the same time. 12,000 bottles were filled in February 2018.

The 2016 Viñedo Chadwick came from a cool year in which the Cabernet Sauvignon lost enough energy to require a boost from the 3% Petit Verdot, both of which were harvested before the record rains in April (127mm). Aged for 22 months in French barrels (a fifth new) and 10% in foudres. It has an austere nose in which red fruit combines with layers of herbs, pyrazine, mint and a core of blackcurrant. Intense and juicy on the palate with accomplished freshness, the key to this wine is the delicate but lively acidity that fine tunes the flavors at the back of the palate.