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2002
The 2001 winter generally featured normal temperatures and rainfall. Warm temperatures in late winter resulted in an early budbreak, about a week earlier than normal. In late October and November, cloudy conditions contributed to an extended bloom period.
Spring was otherwise normal until early December, when the weather turned very sunny and dry. From late spring to early summer, degree days were 10% to 15% higher than normal.
The warm, dry conditions continued throughout summer, which allowed us to control vine stress and thereby heighten concentration. Rains hit part of the country toward the end of summer (March 16). The 2002 vintage will thus be remembered for its warm, wet picking season. Although rain only affected some sections of Chile’s wine-growing regions, it was sufficient to change the perception of the entire harvest, which is turning out great wines despite its reputation as a wet and problematic year.
Rainfall compromised sections of the Maule Valley, the Curicó Valley and the southern part of the Rapel Valley. When the rain hit, the berries had already accumulated good sugar levels, and the grape skins had softened as the fruit neared ripeness. This combination of factors created an environment that promoted the growth of fungus.
In the affected regions, viticulturists and winemakers had to choose between taking their chances in waiting for ideal flavour ripeness (while using aggressive canopy management to promote ventilation in the fruit zone and removing mouldy clusters to prevent further contamination) versus picking with high sugars but unripe tannins and slightly green characters (and thereby eliminating the possibility of further rot). Winemakers also had to adapt their winemaking techniques, using sorting tables to cull out undesirable fruit and modifying winemaking procedures to minimize green characters and soften tannins.
Following the rains, a rise in daily temperatures throughout Chile toward the end of harvest brought faster ripening right at the end of the season, which shortened our usually very long ripening time by seven to twenty days, depending on the variety. All told, the 2002 vintage shows a 20% drop in volume compared to 2001.
Aconcagua Valley (Seña and Viña Errázuriz Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve, Single Vineyard,
Specialty, Reserva and Varietal wines)
Rainfall in Aconcagua was within the normal ranges at harvest. We had one minor rain (12 mm) on April 9 in the upper part of the valley. For comparison, the 1999 vintage featured 16 mm between March 3 and April 10. In 2001, we had 14 mm in the same period. Aconcagua thus experienced a normal harvest.
The 2002 vintage overall was excellent in the Aconcagua Valley. Harvest was exceptionally good in terms of fruit quality and ripeness. Yields were lower than expected, especially in Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Aconcagua Cabernets underwent slow fermentations and extended macerations. The new wines are
concentrated, with violet and mineral notes. We will have a lot of options at the blending table when it comes time to make the Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve and Seña. The Seña Estate Cabernet, which is in its first vintage, is a ripe, spicy Cabernet and could very well make the final Seña blend.
The 2002 vintage is probably the best ever for Merlot at Errázuriz. The Las Vertientes and Seña Estates produced ripe, concentrated Merlots. The cooler Ocoa region of the Aconcagua, where the Seña Estate is located, shows very high potential with this fickle grape.
We were able to leave the Aconcagua Carmenère hanging till the end of April, which gave the grapes time to develop rich, ripe flavours. As a result, we have an excellent selection of wines for blending, with sweet, ripe tannins and a broad range of flavours featuring red cherry, blackberry, soy sauce and coffee.
Finally, the Syrahs have ripe fruit flavours and a generally lower alcohol level than previous vintages.
The new Las Vertientes vineyard produced astounding quality, which was a pleasant surprise given the youth of the vines. In particular, the Merlot and Syrah in tank have beautiful blueberry flavours and rich chalky tannins.
Casablanca Valley (Viña Errázuriz, Arboleda and Caliterra white wines)
In the Casablanca Valley, our La Escultura Estate did not receive any rain during harvest.
The 2002 growing season in Casablanca was more continental than usual in climatic terms. Days were sunnier than average, with less of the morning fog that softens ripening. This strongly ocean-influenced wine-growing area was thus not so much so this vintage. The wines are already showing the effect of this unusual weather pattern, in that they have more mineral and spicy flavours than in previous vintages.
The vintage looks promising in this region. Lower yields, higher-than-expected natural acidity and high sugar accumulation characterized most of the vineyards. The Sauvignon Blanc wines look very good. We picked the fruit at the peak of ripeness and got a good balance of sugar and high natural acidity. The wines are very clean and elegant, with mineral, spice, tropical fruit, lime and grapefruit flavours. We are now blending and preparing the wines for bottling.
The Chardonnay harvest in Casablanca was intense. We had to receive the grapes as fast as possible, since warm weather at harvest threatened to overripen the fruit. We managed to bring in all the grapes with the desired flavours, however, and all the lots are now ageing nicely on the lees. Malolactic fermentation is going very fast, which is good in that it preserves the fruit flavours while adding complexity (whereas a long, slow fermentation accentuates the malolactic characters). The 2002 vintage will be noted for its high natural acidity—we made no acid adjustments in the winery. Quality looks very good.
For the first time ever, all of our Errázuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay lots are going dry. They show a range of delicious aromas, including baked bread, perfume and mineral nuances . We will have a lot of wines to choose from at the blending table. The inoculated reserve lots have more tropical characters and rich, ripe fruit.
Cachapoal Valley (Caliterra wines)
Rainfall in Cachapoal was normal. Chardonnay from this valley will add ripe flavours and a touch of butterscotch to the Caliterra Chardonnay blend. Cabernet Sauvignon, in turn, was picked at the precise moment with ripe aromas and soft tannins. The Carmenère grapes were picked at the end of April. The wines look very interesting, with good balance, concentration and colour.
Colchagua Valley (Arboleda and Caliterra wines)
Some of our Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère blocks in Colchagua were affected by the rain that began on March 16. A portion of the fruit had to be harvested early to save it from botrytis and sour rot. After assessing each block, we picked the fruit very selectively, shaking the vines first to drop any rotten berries. All fruit that could wait was left to be harvested later; it came in very clean thanks to good vineyard practices. In addition, a careful inspection was done at the winery to avoid processing fruit with any presence of mould: all the grapes were gently moved across sorting tables on conveyors to ensure that only the healthy grapes went into the tank. Fermentation was initiated immediately to protect the fresh fruit characters. The quality of the Caliterra Cabernet and Carmenère was thus not affected by the inclement weather. Furthermore, thanks to visionary planning, both varietals had considered a surplus grape supply to face events of this nature. Sugar concentration levels were as high as usual, and acidity was higher due to early picking. The quality of the wines lookchus very good, with lots of spice, red fruit flavours and well-structured tannins.
We are experimenting with micro-oxygenation and enzymes to clean up the wines and soften tannins. 2002 looks like a great year for Malbec. This grape variety ripens right after Merlot and before Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The young wines have a deep violet colour and beautiful blackberry and red fruit characters. Our Sangiovese, which we use for blending with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is showing ripe red fruit flavours and firm structure. Syrah was hit by the rain, but good vineyard management allowed us to wait for the grapes to achieve the right concentration, and consequently the wines look very promising. This might be one of our best vintages for Syrah to date in Colchagua. All the lots show excellent quality.
All the Chardonnay was picked before the rain. The ripe, clean wine will provide an excellent blending component for our Caliterra Chardonnay.
Sauvignon Blanc was also picked before the rain. The vintage looks like our best yet as a result of a more accurate vineyard management and an optimal picking time during harvest. The wines show good acidity and intense tropical fruit aromas like pineapple and lychee fruit.
Curicó Valley (Viña Errázuriz Merlot Estate and Caliterra wines)
Our white wines from Curicó are clean and ripe, and they will provide some very good components for both the Caliterra program and the Errázuriz varietals sourced from this valley. The Sauvignon Blancs, which were all harvested before the rain, show ripe, expressive fruit and good acidity. Among the reds, the Merlot grapes from our young vineyards were also harvested before the rain. The wines have nice bubble gum and cherry flavours with good colour and concentration; they will give us excellent blending options for our Errázuriz Estate Merlot. Carmenère was affected by the rain, which forced us to harvest earlier than normal in order to save the fruit from botrytis and sour rot. In the winery, we used a combination of shorter macerations and more barrel ageing to eliminate all traces of green flavours and to round out the mouth feel. Black pepper and blackberry flavours with medium body in the mouth is the characteristic flavour profile of 2002 Carmenère.
Edward Flaherty
Errázuriz Winemaker |
Rodrigo Banto
Caliterra Winemaekr |
Pedro Izquierdo
Errázuriz-Caliterra Viticulturist |
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