Errazuriz

2011

The 2010–2011 season was cold and had low yields, similar, in both aspects, to the 2009–2010 season, although the current season differed in the absence of frosts and higher rainfall, although neither affected the health of the grapes except for late-ripening varieties in the southern zone.

The decrease in production was primarily due to poor induction of the buds that burst in spring 2010, the product of the low temperatures in November 2009. This, in addition to a very cold spring 2010 that affected the differentiation of buds as well as fruit set produced lighter-weight bunches with fewer set berries.

At the national level the decrease in total yields is estimated at 15–25% with respect to the predicted yields and even 30% less in the case of Cabernet Sauvignon, the variety that registered the greatest decrease nationwide, primarily due to the low yields obtained in the Maule Valley, where approximately 60% of the national production of this variety is concentrated.

At the national level the decrease in total yields is estimated at 15–25% with respect to the predicted yields and even 30% less in the case of Cabernet Sauvignon, the variety that registered the greatest decrease nationwide, primarily due to the low yields obtained in the Maule Valley, where approximately 60% of the national production of this variety is concentrated.

Summarizing the overall results of the Company’s properties, we can say that this was a late season with respect to phenolic maturity and acidity, although sugar accumulation generally occurred earlier than usual, which resulted in white musts with very good acidity (a high concentration of malic acid) that delivered fresh and juicy wines.

The challenge for white grapes was two-fold. On the one had, we had to be careful not to wait too long for the delayed and somewhat heterogeneous phenolic maturation in order to avoid excessively high alcohol levels due to the early sugar accumulation that came as a product of moderate temperatures, which facilitated photosynthetic activity of the plants. On the other hand, we had to refrain from performing pre-fermentation macerations (or significantly decreasing their duration and temperature) to prevent potential phenolic and bitter notes, because in some cases the phenolic maturation was incomplete.

In the case of red wines, the sugar load stopped very early on, with relatively low sugar concentrations that produced musts with low potential alcohol levels and very good acidity and resulted in fresh, well-balanced wines with tremendous fruit intensity and intense, vivid colour.

Data collected at our agro-meteorological stations during the growing season show that the 2010–2011 season registered a lower heat summation in almost every zone with respect to the historic average. In comparison with the previous season, heat summation was lower in every zone except the intermediate sectors (Ocoa and Max VI) and the Valle de Aconcagua’s coastal sector (Manzanar), all of which registered a slight increase. The only moderately warm month was April, which presented temperatures close to the historic averages and a heat summation higher than the same month in the previous season. This increase in temperatures was very helpful in ensuring good phenolic maturation in the late-ripening red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and especially Carmenere.

With respect to the effects of this season on the quality of the wines, the whites show very good fruit intensity in Aconcagua Costa and moderate in Casablanca. Those from Casablanca also have palates that are somewhat more phenolic than they were in the previous season.

The red wines have excellent colour and acidity, great fruit intensity, and lower alcohol levels due to the cool year. They are elegant, well-balanced, fruity and lively wines with tremendous aging potential.

CLIMATE REPORT & DESCRIPTION OF WINE QUALITY BY ZONE

Aconcagua Costa Manzanar

Climate and Phenological Stages:
The spring began with mean temperatures that were lower than both those of the previous season and the average of the past three seasons, primarily due to a decrease in high temperatures as well as a sharp decrease in the low temperatures registered in December. Heat summation for October and November was similar to that of 2008–2009 and lower than 2009–2010. The accumulation for December was lower than the two previous seasons, and January’s was lower than the previous three seasons: 680.2 DD vs. 746.1 DD in 2009–2010, and 692 DD in 2008–2009. Despite the lower temperatures, however, no delays were observed in the evolution of phenological stages. In comparison with the previous season, budbreak occurred 4 days earlier in Pinot Noir, 11 days earlier in Sauvignon Blanc, 7 days later in Chardonnay. Merlot occurred on a similar date, and Syrah was 12 days earlier, all between 26 August and 10 September.

Flowering began between 13 October and 8 November for the different varieties. This was 27 days early for Pinot Noir, 19 days early for Sauvignon Blanc, 12 days early for Chardonnay, 6 days early for Merlot, and on a similar date for Syrah.

Veraison took place primarily during the second half of January—13 days early for Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay; on a similar date for Syrah; and 7 days late for Merlot.February and April had heat summations similar to those of the warm 2008–2009 season, and the accumulation for March was higher than the two previous seasons (199 DD). Total heat summation for the season was 1,215 DD, which represents a slight increase of 5% over the previous season (1,518 DD) and 2% above the historic average (1,191 DD).

Quality:
he season’s overall cold, dry conditions and moderate yields resulted in a vintage with good quality and fruit expression and healthy grapes. The Sauvignon Blanc is citrusy, herbal, and crisp; the Chardonnay shows good fruit, vibrant acidity, and a lush palate. The Pinot Noir stands out for its aromatic intensity, elegance, and good acidity, which contributes freshness and typicity, but with tannins that ripened very well and delivered good structure to the wines—one of the finest varieties of the seasons. This season’s Syrah shows impressive cool-climate typicity with a spicy note and bright, crisp acidity.

Mid-Valley Aconcagua

Clima y Estados Fenológicos:
Climate and Phenological Stages: Ocoa’s mean temperatures during the growing season were lower than the historic average due to high and low temperatures that were also lower than the historic average, and December was once again the month with the greatest percentage of decreases in both low and high temperatures (16% and 6%, respectively) in relation to the average of the past three seasons. In general, the heat summation curve was very similar to that of the previous season, although always lower than that of the 2008–2009 season. Only December registered a higher heat summation than the previous season. The accumulated DD in January were lower than those of the three previous years (278.8 DD). February and March were both similar in accumulated DD. The total heat summation for the season was 1,380 DD, which was 7 DD higher than the previous season, but 67 DD less than the historic average (1,447 DD).

A comparison of the phenolic stages of this season and last shows that budbreak for Syrah occurred 6–15 days later this season than last and on similar dates for Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Carmenere, while it was 12–24 days early for Petit Verdot and Mourvèdre. Flowering took place 11–20 days later for most varieties except Carmenere, which flowered on a similar date. Veraison took place 6–20 days later than last year for all varieties.

Quality:
The red wines obtained this year—especially the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot—present very good colour and aromatic intensity due to the moderate yields that allowed the grapes to ripen fully—despite the cold weather—and reach harvest in very good condition. This, in addition to the low alcohol and good acidity levels, resulted in wines that are fresh, juicy, and vibrant with tremendous cellaring potential.

Viñedos Max

Climate and Phenological Stages:
This sector of the valley also registered mean temperatures that were lower than historic averages, except for the month of September, largely due to a decrease in high temperatures, but also to a drop of up to 14% in low temperatures in December, when compared with historic averages. The average January temperature was 19.3ºC (66.7ºF), 4% lower than the average of the past three seasons and 5% lower than the previous year. This was strongly reflected in the heat summation for this period. While the accumulation of DD in October and November the followed the same upward trend as it did in 2008, December’s accumulation was nearly the same as November’s (217 DD vs. 214 DD, respectively), making this the coolest December in the past three years. January and February followed the same pattern. February and March accumulated similar DD, and March and April were even warmer than in the previous year. Total heat summation was 1,493 DD—58 DD lower than in the previous season and 78 DD lower than the average of the past three seasons. The consequences on this season’s phenological stages with respect to those of the previous season are as follows. Budbreak was 5 days later for Cabernet Sauvignon. It occurred on the same date for Merlot in Max IV and a week earlier in Max I; Malbec was a week later, and Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Carmenere on the same date.

Flowering began 15 days later than in the previous season for Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot and Carmenere were delayed 5 and 30 days respectively. Malbec and Petit Verdot flowered on similar dates, and Syrah was 15 days early. Veraison took place on similar dates for Syrah and Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were 5 days early, and Carmenere, 6 days late.

Quality:
The grapes reached harvest in excellent condition, and the wines obtained very good aromatic expression with fresh red and black fruit. The lower alcohol levels and pronounced acidities produced wines that are fresh, long, and profound but elegant and well balanced. The region’s sector’s Cabernet Sauvignon will certainly be the most talked-about variety this year, closely followed by the Syrah and our Carmenere, which shows tremendous typicity, aromatic intensity and concentration, with notes of fig, sweet spice, and an abundance of red fruit.

Viñedo Chadwick

Climate and Phenological Stages:
Alto Maipo was not exempt from the cold year that predominated throughout most of the country. Although decreases in Atlo Maipo’s mean temperatures were more moderate than in Aconcagua, the maximum and minimum temperatures were lower than they were in the previous season as well as lower than the historic averages nearly every month, especially in December, which registered decreases of 7–10% respectively in relation to the historic averages, and this had a direct influence on heat summation. October began with lower accumulation than the previous two seasons, although November and December were higher than the previous season.January had the lowest heat summation of the entire past three years, while February was the warmest in the same period. As opposed to the two previous seasons, during which March generated a second peak of heat summation, March 2011 had the least accumulation of the previous seasons, as did April. The total heat summation was 1,497 DD, which is 12 DD less than the previous season and 89 DD less than the average of the past three seasons.

With respect to phenological stages in Cabernet Sauvignon, budbreak began on a date similar to that of the previous year, flowering began 15 days earlier, and veraison, 4 days later.

Quality:
The result is a Cabernet Sauvignon that presents remarkably lively freshness and colour intensity due to its excellent acidity. The wine delivers abundant and highly concentrated fresh red fruit with very delicate ripe tannins that lend elegance and excellent structure. This is probably an extraordinary vintage, given the blend of freshness, aromatic intensity, elegance, balance, concentration, depth, and fine tannins.

Casablanca

Climate and Phenological Stages:
Despite the fact that December and January had lower average minimum temperatures than in the past three years (although they were higher than the previous season), overall this was one of the few properties that registered mean temperatures that were higher than the previous season and the average of the past three years, with the only exception of October.

Quality:
The whites from Casablanca present a more discrete profile this season, especially when compared to the wines of extraordinary quality obtained in the previous season. Although yields were moderate and the grapes were very healthy, the limiting factor was lower fruit intensity and palates that were somewhat more phenolic.

SUMMARY:

• •Cold year conditions.
• •Higher total rainfall and significant rainfall at the end of the season from Rapel southward.
• •Good grape health, with the exception of late-ripening varieties in the southern zone.
• •Low Yields.
• •Absence of problems related to spring and autumn frosts.
• •Wines of very good to excellent overall quality. Fresh and well balanced, with excellent typicity, aromatic intensity and flavour, more in line with elegance than potency due to their low alcohol levels and pronounced acidities.

“I think that the wines that will stand out this year are the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from Aconcagua Costa, the Carmenere from northern Cachapoal, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the different valleys, and alternative varietals such as Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Mouvèdre, and Grenache, etc”.

Francisco Baettig
Enólogo Jefe
Viña Errázuriz S.A.

Panquehue, June 2011

2009

The first half of the season (October–December) showed a decrease in the mean temperatures with respect to those registered during the 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons, primarily due to a drop in average temperatures, with the exception of the Casablanca Valley, which in comparison howed higher-thannormal mean temperatures.

The second half of the season (January–April), on the other hand, presented higher than usual average monthly high temperatures. The month of March was particularly warm, with several spikes in temperature that topped 32ºC (90ºF). As a consequence, these conditions seemed to accelerate the season with an early accumulation of grape sugars and the corresponding rise in potential alcohol levels. The spikes in temperature, however, produced physiological blockages in the plants, forcing us to carefully follow the progress of the ripening tannins to avoid harvesting thegrapes too early while the tannins were still green and/or excessively astringent. As a result of the aforementioned conditions, the Viña Errázuriz harvest took place just 4 to 7 days earlier than in an average year.

One of the challenges of this harvest was making the proper adjustments in canopy management to protect the fruit from the high temperatures (many days with elevated maximum temperatures) by reducing the leaf pulling in order to conserve acidity (freshness and nerve) and anthocyanins (colour), and to prevent the skins from thickening and developing excess bloom (astringent tannins). Water management was also essential for keeping the canopies active and preventing physiological blockages, especially in varieties that are sensitive to water stress and high temperatures such as Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, so we increased irrigation by 20% with respect to an average year.

It is very important to stress that the reason this was considered a warm year was the number ofdays with elevated average and absolute high temperatures, particularly in March and April,not for the season’s overall heat summation,which was not excessive in any of the winery’s properties - except Casablanca -, given the conditions of lower than average temperatures during the first half of the season and fewer high temperature peaks. In fact, the season’s heat summations were moderate and registered just 1,668 degree days in the Max vineyards and 1,751 degree days in Viñedo Chadwick, while Aconcagua Costa was rather cold, with a heat summation of just 1,199 degree days.

The interior Valle de Aconcagua (Max & Las Vertientes vineyards and Viñedo Seña), presented, as in the rest of the country, a hot, dry summer that extended into March and April due to the many temperature spikes. The season’s overall heat summation, however, was very moderate and the average heat summation of our different properties during the 2008– 2009 season was 1,622 degree days, 71 degree days lower than the historic average of 1,693 degree days.

Because the spikes in temperature were quite specific in time, the median temperatures were lower than those registered in the previous season. Therefore, for example, the Maxvineyards registered a median of 18.4ºC (65.1ºF) in March, which is lower than the 18.8ºC(65.8ºF) registered in March 2008.

With respect to the quality of the wines, the Merlot delivered excellent quality this year because it was harvested in mid-March, prior to the episodes of high heat registered later in the month. This allowed the berries to ripen well without being affected by the spikes in temperature. The wines present very good colour, lush palates, and great fruit intensity without notes of collapse or over-ripeness; in fact, there is no evidence of negative effects due to excess heat. The Cabernet Sauvignon has somewhat higher alcohol and lower acidity than in previous seasons (especially 2007 and 2008). In general, this season’s quality will greatly depend upon viticultural management (leaf pulling, crop thinning, hydric stress). We at Viña Errázuriz are very pleased with the quality obtained, although it will be difficult to reach the concentrations and intensities registered in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, despite the crop thinning done in the vineyard and must bleeding during vinification. The Syrah was very productive this year, with large bunches and heavy berries, which made crop thinning essential for regulating the yield. In the case of the lots destined for Max Reserva and Icon wines, we also eliminated the shoulders and tips to lighten the bunches. During vinification we bled off some of the must to increase obtain wines with good concentration and typicity, although with harsher tannins that will soften with time in the bottle.

The Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc are looking very good, thanks to moderate yields and the good maturity reached through the high temperatures. The bunches were well protected, and we thinned enough fruit to produce aromatically intense wines with good quality tannins. The wines are elegant, with less concentration than in previous years, but with very good fruit, typicity, and colour. Although it is still early to form a definitive opinion, it appears to be a good year for Carmenère. The high temperatures have resulted in very little pyrazines, and the wines obtained are well-rounded and ripe, with good fruit

intensity and typicity. In the case of Aconcagua Costa (Chilhué and Manzanar), the yields obtained were very much in accordance with our projections. The heat summation in the coldest sector was 1,199 degree days and 1,322 in the warmest, confirming that this is indeed a cold climate valley and therefore ideal for producing highquality Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The quality of the Sauvignon Blanc can be considered excellent, with tremendous intensity, lush mouthfeel, and plenty of nerve and freshness. The Chardonnay shows a distinctive typicity, with plenty of freshness and fruity intensity, a mineral edge, and a certain austerity on the palate, just the opposite of the greater opulence displayed by the Casablanca wines.

Although Pinot Noir is a delicate varietal that requires time to express its primary fruit and evaluate its quality, the wines are already showing potential with good red fruit typicity, earthiness, and minerality. This year we used open-top fermenters for the first time with very gentle manual punch downs, which helped produce fresher and better balanced wines.

Like Aconcagua Costa, Viñedo Seña also presented moderate temperature conditions, with a heat summation of just 1,468 degree days, thus confirming it is an area that produces fresh and elegant red wines with good acidity because it is a cool zone closer to the coast than Max Vineyards.

With respect to the varieties, we obtained very good quality Merlot. The new plantations began to show their potential and produce the first lots with a very good projection of quality, such as is the case of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Carmenère. The Casablanca Valley presented a very warm 2008–2009 season. Our La Escultura vineyard registered a median temperature of 20.8ºC (69.4ºF) in January, significantly higher than that registered in past seasons (19.º1C / 66.4ºFin 2008 and 18.9ºC / 66ºF in 2007) as well asa heat summation of 1,613 degree days, more than 100 degree days higher than the historicaverage of 1,469 degree days.No frosts were registered in the area, and this,along with good budbreak, fruit set, and bunchsize explain the higher yields obtained. It was ademanding year, as it required numerous shootremovals and crop thinnings to ensure quality.Fortunately, because it was a warm year, goodripening was ensured despite the increase in production, although the wines will not have the same level of freshness and intensity as those obtained in the excellent 2005, 2007, and 2008 seasons.

Maipo Alto saw moderately high temperature conditions; our station at Viñedo Chadwick registered a median temperature of 21.4ºC (70.5ºF) in January, which is very similar to those registered in previous seasons (21.7ºC / 71ºF in 2008 and 21.2ºC / 70.1ºF in 2007) with a heat summation of 1,751 degree days, which is very close to the historic average. March and April, however, were hot months. March registered a median temperature of 19.4ºC (66.9ºF), compared with 19.2ºC (66.6ºF) registered in 2008 and 18.8ºC (65.8ºF) in 2007, while April reached 16.1ºC (61ºF), which was much higher than the 15ºC (59ºF) registered in 2008 and the 14.1ºC (57.4ºF) in 2007.

Given the high median and maximum temperatures registered in March and April, we decided to harvest the fruit exposed to the morning sun separately from that exposed to the afternoon sun because notorious differences were observed between the two with respect to the progress of maturation. In the end there was a 10-day difference between the two. The quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon picked in the AM sector (which is better protected from the sun) is excellent, with plenty of freshness, fruit intensity, good acidity, and structure; in other words, what we expect from this vineyard. The fruit from the PM side has tannins that are a bit more rustic and harsh, as well as less colour and freshness, which shows that our decision was correct. Therefore, we have ensured excellent quality in the 2009 vintage, but at a lower volume than in the 2008.

2008

The 2007-2008 harvest season came to an end, leaving the impression that we are facing a season that can be defined as correct in terms of quality, with specific challenges in some cases, like high temperatures during summer’s months, and very good outcomes in some varieties such Merlot, Shiraz and Carmenère. Throughout the country the general perception is that this was an atypical season (in the end they all are): the coldest and driest winter of the last 40 years; sea temperature in spring of 2°C below historic average (La Niña); a cold, dry spring (data from our weather stations indicate that this season was dry until the end of April); high heat summation in March and April.

Season’s heat summation fell by historic averages in most of the valleys, although there were a cold spring, high maximum temperatures in January and February and high heat summation in March and April. This was a successful harvest season for Viña Errázuriz in terms of quality, with medium yields that coincided -in general- with our projections.

In all valleys (Coastal Aconcagua, Alto Maipo, Casablanca, Colchagua and Curicó), with the sole exception of Inland Aconcagua, average accumulated heat summation between October 2007 and April 2008, measured in Degree Days (Base 10º C/ 19°C) was higher than it was during 2006-2007 growing season and higher than their historic averages, nevertheless significant differences between valleys were shown.

The Inland Aconcagua Valley showed a cold year condition in comparison with its historic heat summation, wherein two situations could be observed: Seña, Vertientes and Max VI vineyards exhibited a cold year condition with an average heat summation during the 2007-2008 season of only 1603 Degree Days, which was 30 Degree Days less than the previous season (1633 Degree Days) and 82 Degree Days in comparison with their historic average (1685 Degree Days), while Don Maximiano Vineyard (MAX I to V) exhibited a heat summation (1644 Degree Days) 2% higher than previous season (1612 Degree Days) but 4.2% less than its historic average (1717 Degree Days).

In the case of Coastal Aconcagua (Chilhué and Manzanar), the heat summation was higher (1519 Degree Days) than it was in 2007 (1375 Degree Days). . Analyzing temperature’s behavior along the growing season, Inland Aconcagua, Casablanca, Leyda and Alto Maipo had a cold spring, and during the first months of the season (October to December 2007) their heat summation was clearly lower than those ones recorded during previous season and inferior even than their historic averages. Coastal Aconcagua, Colchagua and Curicó, on the other hand, exhibited high heat summations from the beginning of the season, which were maintained during the whole period.

Thus, Colchagua was very warm, recording the season’s highest heat summation (1700 Degree Days); 6.4% higher than last year’s record (1598 Degree Days) and 2.4% higher than its historic average (1660 Degree Days), while Alto Maipo’s heat condition was moderate (1627 Degree Days), only 0.8% higher than its historic average (1614 Degree Days).

From January on, peak temperatures were recorded, with absolute maximums that exceeded 37°C in Colchagua and 36°C in Curicó, around 34°C in Alto Maipo and Don Maximiano Vineyard in Aconcagua, and reaching 32ºC in Casablanca, Leyda and Coastal Aconcagua. High temperatures came back in February (although lower than in January), while March and April kept unusually warm, all of which led to increase heat summation in all valleys and surpass previous year’s records and even some historic averages (Colchagua and Maipo Bajo Valleys). The odd heat wave that took place during March was crucial since maximum temperatures kept over 32°C for several days in a row, which had an impact on grape’s condition.

The only exception occurred in Inland Aconcagua (Seña, Vertientes and Max VI vineyards), that exhibited temperatures 1.5% below previous season’s records and 5.6% below its historic average.

Behavior of different phenologic stages (flowering, fruit set, veraison and ripeness), was influenced by a winter that was dry (rainfall in Aconcagua of only 92 mm during this period, 60% less than its historic average) and a cold (monthly mean temperatures were lower than those of previous season, with larger accumulation of cold hours and winter frost events), causing a delay in the bud-break period of 10-15 days, but also accomplishing a better uniformity.

Late bud-breaking and flowering within historic terms, in addition to low availability of water due to a dry winter, resulted in a shorter vegetative growth period, which was only recovered between setting and coloring. In general, this process led to moderate vigors and transparent canopies.

In October 2007 two frost events took place in Casablanca Valley (October 7th and 18th), none of them causing major damages in the vines, while in coastal zones such as Coastal Aconcagua and Leyda Valleys, temperatures did not drop below 2,0°C as minimums.

High temperatures recorded during January, February and March encouraged ripeness process, but also caused fruit dehydration problems in some valleys, especially in Colchagua and most specifically in vineyards with very restrictive water management. This situation was also worsened by a poor root growth due to the lack of water in the soil resulting from the dry winter. As further consequence, this valley faced an early harvest with an important decrease in the yields of red varieties, most particularly in Cabernet Sauvignon, which undoubtedly was the season’s main problem.

One of the main challenges of this harvest consisted in perceiving the effect that high temperatures would have over the grapes, maintaining a non-restrictive water management, and avoiding excessive leaf plucking to keep the clusters protected, especially those ones facing the afternoon sun exposure.

In the case of Inland Aconcagua Valley, given a colder year condition, we had to wait for ripeness, delay

ing the harvest of red varieties in 10-14 days in comparison with traditional terms, and advancing by sectors with an intensive use of vigor maps, harvesting the ripest areas within each block.

As far as rainfall records are concerned, the 2007-2008 growing season was dry compared to historic and average data. Both dry-year and low-vigor conditions resulted in very healthy grapes (almost complete absence of Botrytis and Odium). During ripening period just two rainfall events took place. First one occurred in March, with a low-intensity rain (7-10mm in Aconcagua, 9mm in Vineyard Chadwick, 15mm in Casablanca, 11mm in Colchagua and 12mm in Curicó); the second one happened at the end of the season (April 27th and 28th) with moderate to high intensity depending on the valleys (10-16mm in Aconcagua, 20mm in Vineyard Chadwick, 31mm in Colchagua and 50mm in Curicó). The effect of the second rainfall was limited, since at that point of the harvest season, Carmenère was almost the only variety left, being well known as a variety that features thick skin and good endurance to diseases.

Regarding harvested volumes, there are differences among varieties and valleys. Sauvignon Blanc had higher yields in most of the valleys (including Leyda) except in Casablanca, where they were significantly lower than expected. Casablanca’s Chardonnay yields dropped importantly. Production of Merlot was closer to the estimates, just as Shiraz. Cabernet Sauvignon’s yields were 15% to 25% lower than estimated, while Carmenère surpassed its projections.

In terms of total grape production, Viña Errazuriz will be very close to its projection of December 2007 and 12% higher than the 2007 season. In white varieties, Chardonnay’s yield was closer to its projection (-3.5%) and higher than 2007 season, while Sauvignon Blanc globally increased its yield in approximately 5% compared to December 2007 projection.

In Cabernet Sauvignon, an average decrease close to 11% in comparison with the projection was observed, although it was 7% higher than its yields of the previous season. This was basically due to low spring temperatures in Aconcagua that caused a minor setting, which led to some millerandage problems and lighter clusters.

In summary, cold year conditions in Aconcagua resulted in a harvest season mainly concentrated between April and the first week of May, with a similar distribution as compared to 2006 and later than the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007 harvests.

As a result of small-sized clusters and berries, as well as a cold year condition, 2008 Aconcagua Valley red wines show a good aroma intensity and good fruit concentration. Both Merlot and Shiraz exhibit very good quality, with great fruit intensity and a good tannic level. Top Cabernet Sauvignon ranges excel in quality, with remarkable tipicity and firm ripe tannins. In following ranges, some heterogeneous quality can be observed, along with tannins that sometimes can be harsh or dry but that should develop and soften in time.

Carmenère is expected to showcase superb quality, displaying a good balance between ripeness and liveliness, great aromatic intensity, and good acidity along with round, silky tannins.

In the case of white varieties, in comparison with 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, a less aromatic intensity may be noticed this year in this variety, with a quality that varies from good to very good depending on its management (canopies, irrigation, load), valleys and harvest date. On its second harvest, Coastal Aconcagua gave excellent qualities. In our vineyards of Casablanca Valley, the covered canopies, a non-restrictive water management, moderate loads and a somewhat tardy-than-average harvest allowed us to ensure a good to very good quality grapes, with good acidity, freshness, intensity, and a citric, herbal and well marked tipicity.

In Chardonnay we can expect full, strong, mature wines, somewhat more heavy than the elegant and fresh 2007 vintage.

Francisco Baettig
Head Winemaker
Viña Errázuriz
May, 2008

2007

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2006-2007 viticultural season came to an end with a perception that the year was very particular; somewhat odd and heterogeneous in quality and ripening. For Viña Errázuriz it was a very good-quality season with low yields, especially for red varieties.

Our meteorological stations indicate that the season was dry and cold. The accumulated heat summation of the Aconcagua, Maipo, Colchagua and Curicó Valleys during the months of October 2006-April 2007, measured in Degree-Days (Base 10º C), was lower than in the 2006 harvest and that of the historic average of the last 7 years. In the Aconcagua Valley, the mean average temperature of the season was 17.6º C; that is 1.0º C lower than the historic average and 0.7°C lower than the mean temperature of the previous season.

The only exception was the Casablanca Valley, where the heat summation of the season was marginally higher than the value of the former season but lower than the average historic values.

Throughout the season temperature behaviour displayed a marked difference in heat summations compared to the past season. Some months were warmer (October, December, March), others were considerably colder (November and April) while others (January and February) were very heterogeneous with differences among the valleys.

The warm winter favoured an early budding, 7 to 10 days in comparison with the average dates. Good October temperatures caused a slight earlier flowering while the low November temperatures influenced an irregular and prolonged setting, causing “millerandage” problems, explaining this year’s low yields.

The relatively good temperatures during January and February contributed to the ripening of white varieties (especially Sauvignon Blanc). High temperatures during the first two weeks of March (with absolute maximum temperatures rising up to 36°C in Aconcagua, 33°C in Casablanca and 32.5°C in Maipo) facilitated the ripening of the early ripening red varieties (Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc), anticipating what seemed to be an early season. This perception changed due to decreases in temperatures at the end of March and a cold April month, not adding much to heat summation, somehow delaying the ripening of the Chardonnay and very specifically of the mid and late ripening red varieties (Shiraz, Cabernet and Carmenère).

One of the main challenges of this harvest was to perceive the delay in phenolic ripening, generated by falling temperatures which lead to a temperature drop as from the last week of March. Red varieties harvest was delayed 7-12 days with regard to expected dates, forcing us to work by sectors with intensive use of vigour maps, harvesting the riper sectors within each block.

A generalized ripening delay occurred this season compared with traditional harvesting dates, not significant at Viña Errázuriz vineyards due to low yields, restrictive water management (generalized use of the pressure chamber), good canopy management (good ventilation, without excessive exposition of the clusters and good diffuse light) and sectorised harvest (intensive use of vigour maps).

Pluviometry was normal, generating moderate vigours. For this reason, vineyards had enough water from the beginning, delaying irrigation requirements until mid-December. The only relevant rainfall of low to moderate intensity, depending on the valleys, occurred early in the season (16 February) with 10 mm in Aconcagua, 12 mm in Viñedo Chadwick, 20 mm in Casablanca, 35 mm in Colchagua and 36 mm in Curicó. The fruit was still green and due to subsequent canopy management (ventilation improvement) there were no significant effects on the sanitary and quality conditions of the grapes. Low-intensity rains occurred by the end of March from Colchagua to the South (6 mm in total in Curicó) while in April the climate was quite dry (hardly 2 mm of rain in total in Curicó).

Cold conditions of this season resulted in red wines with low pH levels (between 3.55 and 3.65) which provided freshness and favoured the intensity of colours. It also assisted in creating good sanitary conditions, allowing proper kinetics of alcoholic fermentations given the low microbiological contamination load, thus additionally avoiding crosses of malolactic fermentation.

Viña Errázuriz total production was 10% lower than the harvest estimation of January 2007 and 17% lower than the 2006 season. Chardonnay yields were very close to 2006 volume, while Sauvignon Blanc decreased in approximately 13% in comparison with the past season. The greatest fall occurred in the red varieties, with an average reduction of around 20%. Low yields in red varieties facilitated the ripening process in a generally cold year with dissimilar heat summations, resulting in concentrated, full wines, with good volume, colour and high fruit intensity.

In summary, the low heat summation of the 2007 season was compensated with low yields, intense selective harvest and restrictive water management. To eliminate some drying tannins and reach greater roundness harvest was delayed towards the third and fourth week of April. In comparison, the ending date of the 2007 harvest was very similar to the 2005 season and clearly earlier than in 2006.

Given this season low yields, (small-size clusters and berries) red wines in 2007 exhibit great aromatic intensity and very good fruit concentration, with juicy mouths and round and sweet tannins. The excellent quality of Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots and Pinot Noirs is already evident. Shiraz exhibited slightly drying tannins until late in the season. Tasting the wines I think they are evolving very well. Carmenère could reveal somewhat greener and/or spicier notes than in other years.

In white wines the more dissimilar opinions are with respect to Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca. For Viña Errázuriz, the quality is excellent, similar to the one of 2005. The cool year favoured acidity, freshness and aromas en the aromatic varieties such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Chardonnay will surprise this year for its freshness, liveliness, roundness and elegance.

ACONCAGUA VALLEY

Average heat summation during the 2006-2007 season in the Aconcagua Valley was 1622 degree-days*, lower in 40 degree-days compared with the past season (1662 degree-days) and in 74 degree-days compared with the historic average (1696 degree-days).

For the early ripening red varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Franc), good temperatures during February and the first two weeks of March (average temperatures of 18,9°C and 18,3°C, respectively), contributed to an adequate evolution of tannins and ripening. Merlot harvest began on March 12th that is 7-10 days earlier than in the 2006 season.

Weather conditions up to that moment lead us to predict an early season. As from the third week of March temperatures dropped significantly, slowing down the ripening development of the late ripening varieties leading to a delay in harvest. In order to avoid a complete hold-up of the harvest, vigour maps were intensively used, harvesting sectors which showed lower vigour and riper areas of each block. As a consequence, small tanks were almost exclusively used between the two last weeks of March and the first two or April. Low yields, restrictive water management and delaying the harvest for 10-14 days allowed reaching an adequate phenolic ripening.

Harvest in the Aconcagua Valley took place mostly between the third and fourth weeks of April, ending with the last lots of Carmenère on May 10th, that is, 10 days before the 2006 harvest.

Merlots presented collapsing or dehydration problems in some of the vineyards. We decided to pick the dehydrated clusters before the healthy fruit was harvested, which was fundamental in the good quality that was obtained. Wines exhibit very good colours and juicy mouths with remarkable fresh fruit characters and absence of any over-ripened notes.

Shiraz fruit showed spicier and somewhat drier notes than what is customary in Aconcagua, requiring waiting beyond the traditional dates for harvest. As I taste, I can see that they are evolving satisfactorily. Barrel cellaring and bottling time will soften the tannins which in Aconcagua are naturally soft.

This year, the crown undoubtedly will be placed on the king: Cabernet Sauvignon clearly excels over the other varieties. Ripe but fresh, with an excellent balance between acidity and structure, great fruit intensity and softer, rounder tannins compared to other years; a perfect blend of power and elegance.

Although it is too soon to acknowledge its true potential, Carmenère exhibited somewhat greener and spicier notes than in other years, probably as a result of the March temperature fall, which may have made the total “burn” of pyrazines more difficult.

CASABLANCA VALLEY

Heat summation from October to April reached 1402 degree-days, slightly higher in degree-days in comparison with the past season, but 58 degree-days lower than the historic average.

This lower heat summation originated a slower ripening process and good aroma, flavours and acidity conditions that should have a positive influence in the quality of the wines. In general, wines maintained a very good acidity with low pHs (3.25-3.4), thus displaying great liveliness.

In Casablanca’s Sauvignon Blanc, quality estimations are dissimilar. For some this won’t be a good year while for others, quality is excellent. Harvest decisions will have an impact in styles. Some wineries harvested the variety early in March mainly based on Brix data. The result is that wines are herbaceous and even green. Others decided to wait to obtain a more significant presence of fruit and diminish the vegetal characters of the season avoiding one-dimensional wines. At Viña Errázuriz we took this strategy and the quality of our Sauvignon Blanc wines can be ranked from very good to excellent, similar to the 2005 vintage.

The 2006-2007 season was very favourable for Chardonnay. Absence of frosts and low yields associated with a cooler year assured their excellent quality, this being probably one of the great years for this variety. Its fresh and citric character, good acidity and phenolic ripening outstand; while its full but balanced mouths render a good perception of elegance.

Together with Cabernet Sauvignon, probably Pinot Noir will be another outstanding red variety of the season. This year, wines exhibit excellent tipicity, good red fruit (strawberries, cherries) intensity and flowers (violets), with juicy, round mouths and absence of bitterness and menthol notes. Its colour surprises us again thanks to good acidities that intensify its red tones.

MAIPO VALLEY

At Alto Maipo where Viñedo Chadwick is located, heat summation was 1597 degree-days, slightly lower than the past season (1612 degree-days) and than the historic average (1614 degree-days).

Although the mean temperature and heat summation could be translated as a cold year, low yields and the use of a pressure chamber for restrictive water management, allowed for excellent global ripening, great concentration, ripe tannins and great fruit intensity. The numbers of fermentation lots, defined by using the already classic vigour maps are 8.

We are probably facing an extraordinary year for the Cabernet Sauvignon (at least in Maipo and Aconcagua). Risking an eventual accusation of being heretic, I’ll dare saying that 2007 it will probably dispute the 2005 season’s quality trophy, at least in Cabernet Sauvignon.

Francisco Baettig
Head Winemaker Viña Errázuriz
May 23rd, 2007

*Heat summation cut off at 19ºC

2007 White Harvest in the Manzanar Vineyards

Following we present a series of interviews to Francisco Baettig, Viña Errázuriz Chief Winemaker by Joe Fattorini, wine columnist for The Herald, presenter in Radio Scotland and frequent guest on BBC1. This interview will give you a first hand insight from our Chief Winemaker on the 2007 harvest.

Q. Francisco, just to start, what does your routine look like during the harvest? Do you have a typical day?

A. Well, it's mainly vineyard work although it's true we also have quite a lot to do in the cellar. Especially at the beginning of the harvest when we have all the tanks and equipment to clean. But most of the time is spent visiting all of the valleys where we grow grapes. We set off early each morning to visit the different plots and come back to the winery at about five in the afternoon to do all the cellar work (trying the fermenting wines, decide macerations times, rackings, etc) and follow fermentation. We might work in the winery until late at night. Perhaps midnight. It depends. At the peak of the harvest we really are working hard. We'll finish at one thirty in the morning and back in at six. It's a very exhausting time.

But, you don't realise how tired you are at the time. And you see this in the workers too. There are very few sick days or people asking for time off. Until right after the vintage. Then everyone gets ill.

Q. And what decisions have to be taken day to day?

A. In the vineyards it's seeing how the different lots are ripening. Each vineyard is divided into different lots and we just go out and try them. Usually we have in our hands the 'vigour maps' that we took [using aerial photography] in January. We contrast the picture of the vineyard we have in the photograph with the reality. Once we have tasted the grapes we then have to decide what to pick. It's not a matter of sugar levels – we have no problem with that in Chile. It's mainly to do with skin ripeness or the acidity in the grapes. But, this is the key part of the harvest. I work through every lot by tasting.

Q. So just talk us through the various people involved. Who does what?

A. You know as Chief Winemaker I can't do all the lots every day. So in fact I have eight winemakers and they check and then prioritise the various tasks. Two of them (the more experienced ones) help me following the lots following in the vineyard. They'll call me and say 'no, don't worry, this lot still has two weeks to go' or 'we need to think about harvesting this. It's getting ripe'. When it's close to ripeness I can go.

But because we have fruit across 1000ha (hectares) in different sites it can take along time. You can easily do 600 to 800km a day in the peak of the harvest getting around the different lots, even when you have all the work prioritized like this.

Even when we have all this information I still have a challenge. I've got a sheet with the kilos of grapes to be harvested and the priorities and we send all the information to the viticulturalists who then have their picking programme. Between us we decide on whether to use bins or cases or refrigerated trucks. For instance, for the Icon wines we use small 15kg cases and refrigerated trucks. For the reserve wines we use the small cases in open trucks and then for the varietal wines we use 400kg bins.

We must remember the winery has a maximum capacity of cases that it can work with. It can only accept 30 tonnes a day through its sorting tables. And we're working twenty-four hours a day. Now if I send less I have 12 people doing nothing for hours at the sorting tables, but if I send more then the grapes are sitting around and we can't do that. So it's quite a lot of logistics.

Q. What sort of help do you and your team have to make those decisions? Has technology changed the way harvest decisions are made?

A. Our 'vigour maps' are one of the tools we use. They are aerial photographs of the different vineyards taken in January. Usually vine vigour is related to canopy growth [of leaves and shoots] and so the clusters in more vigorous areas have more leaf cover. So these will tend to be greener tasting and ripen later than the less vigorous lots. Now you have to verify that by taste. But then this is just one tool. Technology changes lots of things. For instance, going back to the sorting tables, these improve the quality of the grapes and therefore the wine.

Q. Errazuriz has done a great deal of work using precision viticulture – how does that affect the way you harvest the grapes?

A. Again, in precision viticulture, vigour maps are only one tool. To really know your vineyards you will have a broad variety of tools. Aerial maps, soil maps and so on. And you can build up a picture of how much water to use, for instance. And that will have an impact on the yield of grapes that you have from each vine. Or other inputs in the vineyard. As you build up you start to have images of the costs of different lots and how economic they are, the quality of grapes, the environmental impact and so on.

Q. And what part does tradition play? Do people still rely on any folk wisdom handed down through the generations when harvesting?

A. I guess we do. We use both technology and tradition. You cannot really replace tradition because in the end I still go and check everything myself. Because when you take photographs in January that's just one reality that might change. Also for me, even with all the chemical analysis of grapes – sugar, acidity, phenols -you still have to try the grapes. You need to be in the field to know when they are ready.

And it depends on the variety. In Sauvignon Blanc we're looking for intensity and freshness and a certain level of acidity. But we don't really need to pay as much attention to the skins and the phenols. But with the reds it's mainly a question of the skins, tannins and colour! I look to see if the seeds are brown – that's a good indicator of ripeness. The pulp. Is that green or transparent-brown? And then of course different varieties behave in very different ways. For instance the feeling in your mouth, between the leathery character of Merlot skins and the brighter, softer character of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Q. I know that Sauvignon Blanc is particularly interesting to harvest – how critical are harvest decisions when you are dealing with Sauvignon?

A. It's a very sensitive variety. Very tricky. Chardonnay is much more forgiving. We're looking for a grassy, fresh style. When you're looking for the right time to harvest it, blink and you... well, you don't have a wine that's awful. But it will be less fresh. It's probably one of the varieties where you have to be most careful.

Q. And how does that process compare with other white varieties like Chardonnay?

A. Well, usually a portion of Chardonnay goes into oak, especially for the Reserva wines. So you can always make up for a later harvest by putting less of the wine in oak. Or you might use less malo-lactic fermentation to keep freshness in the wine. If you like there are more tools you can use in the winery to help you.

Q. So what is it about Sauvignon Blanc that makes harvest time so critical to the eventual quality of the wine?

A. When you lose acidity... you lose acidity. And this is a wine that's all about freshness and bright flavours. You can't make that up in the winery.

Q. Talk us through this particular vintage – what challenges has it thrown up?

A. Up until now, the weather has been good this year. We had some rain in February although that didn't affect us adversely. The whites are really healthy as March was quite warm. (Although not today. It's pretty dull and cloudy today here. But there's no real risk of rain.) The yield is lower than last year but then the harvest is more concentrated than in 2006. By this I mean we are harvesting everything quicker, as everything is coming ripe together.

We're still picking Chardonnay, Merlot is already done and we'll finish Cabernet by the end of April. In some ways 2007 is more typical than 2005 and 2006 were. We're not going to be waiting too long into April and May. It's faster and getting pretty busy just now. It's a good vintage though, better than 2006.

Q. Just to give people a sense of what's going on, during this period, can you describe a choice you might make now that would have a really noticeable effect on the wine in our glass when it arrives here in the UK?

A. Well, we deal with that question all the time, because you have a market style in your mind. Also you have to be in touch with what people want. When you are in touch with what the customer likes, you can decide the way you want to go. For instance, there's a big difference between the UK and US style, and then there's always the style you like as a winemaker. So you are starting to think about issues like whether the wines will need to have oak, how much ripeness you are looking for, and the style of tannins in reds and then of course how that will influence the alcohol levels. Interestingly, in the US people look for soft tannins and are very forgiving of the high alcohol you get from leaving grapes on the vine to ripen the tannins. But in the UK, the British are much less forgiving and like wines with less alcohol. You really do have to be thinking about all sort of thing all the time to produce wines everyone will like!

Q. It's obviously quite an intense time for everyone. How do you deal with the workload and stresses of such an important time of year?

A. In a way, people who decide to become winemakers choose this way of life. It's very hard and there are no short cuts. I have university friends who decided that the pressure of harvest was just too much. They went into teaching, or research, or the analytical side of wine.

But maybe those of us who stay must be a little...masochistic? We seem to thrive on the stress. Because after the harvest, of course, one has the stresses of fermentation! Will we have a stuck fermentation for example? What will we do? But I guess people do it because they love it. You get tired, of course! Especially in the mornings when you have to get up and you're really tired from the night before. But yes, I think that for all of us in the winery... you see people happily doing this. I think it's true. I think we are all probably slightly masochistic.

Q. Obviously this is just one part of the harvest and the winemaking process. What thoughts are going through your mind now regarding the rest of the harvest and work coming up?

A. Well, today, as Head Winemaker I have other responsibilities. I've a great team on site, but I also have visitors to receive. For instance, in half an hour I'm to meet our Japanese importers and we'll talk and then have lunch together. Just half an hour ago I had a video conference with our office in Santiago, discussing quality control issues. Not just harvest issues, but throughout the entire winery. So there's much more to do than just the harvest!

Sometimes I miss being an Assistant Winemaker, and harvest time makes my job much harder with all these other responsibilities. Even so, I still have to try the grapes and wines. So tonight I'll set off the vineyards and work there until around 6.00pm, and then come back to the winery to work late. My wife is French though, so she goes to France each year for the harvest with our young daughter. It's easier really. That way I'm not worrying about coming home or ignoring her. We know that this is the best way – so I can concentrate on the harvest work.

2007 Chardonnay and into the Vinery

So Francisco, you're well into the harvest, how are you bearing up?

Well we’ve finished all the Merlot and we’re on our way to finishing a large proportion of the Cabernet too. Next week (21st April) will be the rest of the Cabernet and the Shiraz. But it’s been interesting. What happened was at the beginning of March the temperature increased a lot and the ripening was happening really fast. Then in the middle of the month the temperature dropped and it was suddenly all cloudy. So this fast ripening was suddenly delayed. So what I thought would be a really early vintage was now moving later and we were delaying picking. Then in April the temperatures rose again and the ripening began to accelerate.

It’s been good though. There’s been no rain really. It’s not been a problem for us for over eight weeks. There might be a little rain on Sunday in the south, but if it comes it will just be light and not a big issue. In the end, water is the key to quality. If you cannot control the water in the soil then you have a bad terroir. For us we want water in December and January then have it dry in the early part of the New Year. That way you stay in control using irrigation and you can stress the vines more for better fruit.

You mentioned last time that timing was less critical with Chardonnay that Sauvignon – just talk us through that

What I think is that as a winemaker with Chardonnay you have a bit more room. I mean, it depends on the style. If you want a fresher style or a riper style, there are more other ways of influencing the winemaking to achieve that with Chardonnay. With Sauvignon you have to pick at the right time though. And also with Chardonnay people are looking not only for primary flavours, as you are with Sauvignon. And remember, here we’re not making a Sauvignon Blanc like you’d find in parts of France with oak. Here in Stainless Steel, Sauvignon is less forgiving.

I know that ‘wild yeast’ fermentations are something you’ve had success with. What influence so they have?

In 2002 we had been very successful with wild yeasts. It was one of my favourite wines. Because when you use selected yeasts you use only one strain of yeast. But different strains of yeast bring out different flavours. If you use the native yeasts that live on the grape to ferment your wine you have two, three, maybe five different strains. You have a bigger pool of micro-organisms, each one producing different compounds, so you are getting a bigger pool of compounds in the wine.

Now there is another side. Selected yeasts are chosen because they have a selected resistance to Sulphur Dioxide and alcohol. Wild yeasts stress more when there is sulphur dioxide and there is much higher mortality of the yeast cells. This leads to more volatile acidity – vinegary aromas. But that also means that there is more complexity. So if you are clever you have a wine that is… how shall I say this… dirty, but in a good way. Aromas of onion and yeast that add to the complexity.

Now when you start harvesting red varieties what additional things do you have to consider over sugar and acid levels in the grapes?

In whites you are especially interested in the primary aromas of the fruit. In reds what I look at is tannins… and I mean the maturity of the tannins, and I do that by looking at the skin condition of the grape. You have to try the skins. Taste it. Feel in your mouth whether it’s too leathery. Now it depends on the grape variety. Merlot has quite a leathery skin – it should feel hard to break. Cabernet has more of a tendency to disappear in the mouth when you chew it and it is ripe.

You also want to assess the colour. Chew the skin and spit a little out into your hand to assess it. And look at the seeds. Are they brown with translucent juice around them and no excess of green flavours. And as the grapes mature you find they go dry, then more grainy and at the end soft and round.

I know it’s a bit of a side issue, but we hear about how tannin structure is one of those big differences between the style people like in the US and the UK – what’s your feeling there?

In the end it all has to do with personal taste. I don’t like an excess of extract, dryness or power. I try to moderate that and also moderate greenness in my wines. But it’s true. In the UK people want wines with fruit intensity. But you know I try not to have a style that is only attractive to one market. Thank to the intensity of fruit in our grapes we have wines that are very good for the UK market. And when we are in the winery we are able to adjust the other features like oak level that you can play with.

And how do you assess these things?

Well, you taste and you do an analysis of the grape. We assess the skins according to an ‘index of anthocyanins’ that gives a measure of the colour of the grapes. But we also chew them and spit them. It’s not a fancy thing this but you chew the grape skins in your mouth to break up the cell walls in the skins and spit them out. You can then look at the colour depth. Is it deep? Is it bright? Is it red?

But to this you can also add the measurement of colour levels. This gives you a number that gives you an indication of quality. Anthocyanin levels – the thing you are measuring – are at their maximum level before the tannins are ripe. They go down after this peak as the tannins approach maturity. So we measure these levels very closely, maybe twice a week, as the drop in anthocyanins, the drop in that number, is an indication of tannin ripeness.

Is there a big difference to the red grape harvest and the white grape harvest?

In some ways it’s the same. We use small cases for the Reserve wines and the Icon wines and larger cases for the varietal wines. The differences are more when you get to the winery. There we sort the grapes before they go into the crusher-destemmer. And at that point we remove all leaves and bad bunches. Then, after the grapes have been through the destemmer, we have another sorting. This time a berry selection that allows us to remove all the stems, green items and all the little green berries that go through the first sorting table hidden in the bunches.

We also use this second table to eliminate ‘raisins’ in the bunch. These are those that have been exposed to extra sun in the ‘shoulder’ of the bunch and so have shrivelled in the heat. And we take those away as they can give over-ripe flavours and cooked aromas. You mentioned last time that this is a stressful time – with stuck fermentations and so on – tell us more about that.

Probably the biggest stress in the cellar during vintage is a wine that has stopped fermenting. It means that the wine is still sugary, very unstable and can re-ferment. If this happens in the winery it always has an impact on quality – there’s always a slight effect. So it’s important to pay attention so that you don’t have to referment, which is what we do. Usually for us it’s not a big problem, maybe one to two lots per year, which is very small. The key is to pay lots of attention to the whole process. Most of the time it’s your own fault when this happens. You have to pay particular attention to temperature – especially reds, especially to Cabernet.

One mistake people make is to measure the must but not the cap. The cap of skins in the tank can go way higher than the must underneath and then it starts to kill the yeast with the heat. It can be 32 – 34 in the must but over 35 in the cap. So you need to pumpover the must onto the cap. Most do this twice a day – we may do three or four pumpovers, and each time put the thermometer into the cap to check the temperature, not just the juice.

But also I tend to ferment at high temperatures at the beginning of a fermentation and then diminish the temperature later as the alcohol increases – that’s when the yeasts are more sensitive. And we do a lot of work with the microscope too. We check the populations of yeast at the end of the fermentation and know what a ‘normal’ population and ‘low’ population will look like. If we’re getting a ‘low’ population then we can put in place measures like more nutrients or oxygen to help the yeast.

I suppose also we have to check that our malo-lactic fermentation doesn’t start too early. This is something we want to encourage in our red wines, but if it starts early, before the alcoholic fermentation has begun, then it will compete with the yeasts for nutrients in the must and that can have an impact.

Sure. It’s a stressful time and there’s a lot to do. But we have it under control and we work together as a team.

2007 Chardonnay and into the Vinery

Francisco, as you bring in the red grapes, talk us through the differences between each variety as you harvest it.

Well, it depends on the variety. Because for all our Reserve wines and Icon wines we hand harvest into small cases of just fourteen to fifteen kilos and then take them in refrigerated trucks to the winery. Once there, grape varieties like Merlot and Pinot Noir we do a ‘cold soak’ and macerate them.

That’s interesting because I’ve heard a lot of people talk about a cold soak but nobody has ever talked me through exactly what happens.

Well, you crush the grapes, and you already know about how we use two sorting tables. These are before and after the crusher/destemmer so that we can take out anything like leaves and also individual berries that are either under-ripe or over-ripe. Then we take the temperature of those crushed grapes down to eight to ten degrees for three to five, six or seven days. What this gives you is more colour and aromas. But because it’s done cold you don’t get too much tannin or bitterness. It makes a wine that is more intense without these bitter characteristics. If you want to know why, it is because tannin is more soluble in alcohol than water, so by soaking it before it ferments it brings out the colour and aromatic precursors, but not the more alcohol-soluble tannins.

What other things are you doing in the winery then?

Well, when we receive the grapes we’ve been trying a new machine that takes the raisins off the selection at the sorting table. It uses airflow over the destemmed grapes. Since over-ripe grapes have started to become like raisins they have lost water and so they’re lighter. The air flows over the table and blows away the grapes that will give wine a raisiny, over-ripe aroma and taste. It can also reduce the alcohol level of the finished wine, depending on the proportion of raisined grapes in the harvest.

Once they come into the winery, we’ve been trying some co-fermentation of red and white varieties in some lots. The idea is that if you ferment red grapes with a small percentage or white grapes – say five percent – it helps in fixing the colour because it uses an enzyme that is found in the white grape. So by adding some white grapes you make a wine that is actually darker. It’s a traditional technique in several parts of the world. Think of Sangiovese co-fermented with Malvasia or Trebbiano in Chianti. Or Shiraz with Viognier in the Cote Rotie. These are small lots though and not necessarily commercial. We’re also experimenting with some red and red co-fermentation. Cabernet and Shiraz or Shiraz and Merlot.

Aside from these interesting experimental ideas, how does winemaking practice differ between grape varieties?

Well, with varieties like Sangoivese and Pinot Noir they are more vulnerable to oxygen – they have fewer antioxidants in their skins. So we do fewer open pumpovers, where we are drawing juice out from the bottom of the tank and then spraying it over the cap of skins to draw out colour, flavour and maintain an even temperature within the vat, preventing the cap form getting too hot. Maybe only pumping over in closed conditions and just sometimes doing open pumpovers when we need to provide oxygen for the yeast.

With Cabernet Franc and Merlot we’ve been experimenting with some part-barrel fermentation. What we do is when the must is nearly finishing fermentation – when it has perhaps 20grams per litre of sugar – we send it to the barrels to finish off. What we do is press the juice from the skins and in the barrels the wines finish fermenting quite warm and extract more from the wood. We use second year barrels but as the fermentation is warm inside it extracts flavours that appear to be from a first year, new barrel. But also there is better extraction of wood flavours, more integration and no bitterness from the wood. Also we tend to send varieties that can be higher tannin, more aggressive or dryer. Varieties like Cabernet Franc. And they become rounder, they integrate more and are ready for drinking earlier. But you can only do it with good wines from good lots.

Fermentation for most wines though seems pretty straightforward, what I’m keen to understand about is how you manage the wines after fermentation has finished, because I hear that this is a critical time.

Post-fermentation we do a twenty five to thirty day maceration. And throughout this we taste the wine daily, checking that it isn’t too stemmy or dry on the palate. So that this means that in total the wine spends around thirty days in contact with the skins. Five to seven days whilst it ferments, and the rest during post-fermentation maceration.

But sometimes I like either to take the wine out early – after maybe twelve days of maceration. This can give you a bit of a ‘Coca Cola’ wine. The fruit is soft because the effect of the tannins is not that strong. Or I will leave the wine for over twenty five days. Because this is what happens. If I press the wine off the skins in the twelve days after fermentation then I have a wine that is fresh. But between twelve and twenty five days it’s hard to tell what the wine is like. The tannins go through an aggressive stage. At this stage many people get scared and press the wine but it still has these aggressive tannins. But during that time – the period from twelve to twenty five days maceration – the tannins polymerize and this means that the more aggressive tannins eventually precipitate leaving a rounder, softer wine.

It’s interesting. It can be dependent on temperature. With a bigger, more aggressive wine a higher maceration temperature will give you more precipitation.

And oak – how much of your red and white wine goes into barrels? And is that the only way of adding oak flavour?

For Reserve wines and up we only use barrels. 50% of these are new barrels in Reserve wines, and 100% are new French in our Icon wines.

In our more commercial wines like the Estate wines we use the used barrels from the Reserve level wines for maybe a further three to five years – depending on the individual barrel. And we also use a proportion of oak staves within the tanks. These staves can give the flavours – mocha, vanilla and toast – then the older barrels can give the wine some oxygen and refine the wines as they age there.

What sort of things are you doing during all of this? What's your role? And your team – who does what there? Give us a bit of a roll call

Well, there are six others. And they are all very good. I oversee everything and I have lots of duties outside the winery – ongoing meetings that might be nothing to do with harvest or meeting importers and journalists.

So we have one in charge of the production area, a lady called Turisima. She is in charge of the bottling programme and quality control. There is Frederico who is in charge of our barrels. We have a winemaker – Ricardo – who is an expert at working with our tanks. Then we have winemakers who head operations at our two wineries. Pedro Contreras is my right hand man I suppose making our Reserva and Icon wines in Panquehue. And in Curico is Wladimir Meder who makes our whites and varietals. We also have two other people in the south.

Me? I’m doing nothing really because I have everything! No, seriously, I do a lot of tasting and I help decide on maceration times and what to do. Things like whether we should use micro-oxidation on a lot and so on. Then I also have to go to the vineyard during the day, come back in the evenings and check the wine. And like I said, life goes on with communications and PR and so on. But it’s easier now than it was because we have a good team.

And what happens after the wine finishes its fermentation – what's next?

We keep all the lots separate into the barrels and they go through life separately until I decide what to do with them – Icon, Reserva, Varietal. Usually I have the various quality levels in a plan but sometimes there are surprises. Sometimes good surprises. Sometimes bad.

So at twelve months in barrel we make bottle our Reserve wines and after eighteen months we bottle the Icon wines.

During this time every lot has a Brettanomyces check [a rogue yeast that produces unwanted horsey or Elastoplast/Bandaid aromas in wine]. This is complex, because remember we have maybe one hundred and seventy different lots in Panquehue. If we find Brettanomyces then we don’t mix that wine and we treat it with sulphur dioxide. We do a ‘Brett’ culture every month and if after three months in a row we don’t find anything then we do it every couple of months. But you know I think we’ve pretty much eliminated Brett problems.

Give us an insight into the harvest and winemaking so far – how happy are you with your assessment of the year?

The weather has been good, but you know earlier in the year it was moving fast. We thought this year’s harvest would be two to three weeks early. Then it suddenly cooled in March. So in the end we have an average peaking of ripeness. But you know it was average only in the time of peaking. The quality is much better than 2006. Mainly because we had more yield in 2006. It’s a low crop in 2007. In total we have diminished by fifteen to twenty per cent. Not only us too. But this is good for quality. The fact of low yields, especially in Cabernet, helps ripeness, concentration and quality.

The wines are showing dry tannins with good structure and the best wines will need time. But you know in general the harvest will finish around the 10th May, the fermentations are going well, and there is good acidity.

Of the main varietals, in Chardonnay the wines are very fresh and good. In Sauvignon Blanc it wasn’t so easy though. People got stressed when we were having a heat wave earlier in the season and harvested early. Now I did some lots – obviously, just to check – and the wines are lemony, lean, citric and grassy. But mostly we waited and the wines from those lots are luscious and fresh.

In reds, well with Merlot we had some collapse. This is a problem with Merlot in Chile. What happens is that the grape doesn’t finish ripening and it degrades. It’s especially true on own-rooted plants like we have in Chile. Merlot has weak roots. And the vine keeps its stomas [pores on the leaves of the vine] open even in the heat. This stresses the vine too much. So you have to be really careful on water management. So we had low yields and this may affect supply a little bit, but the low yields mean it’s very good quality.

And Cabernet – it looks good. The tannins are a little firm so we’ve extracted a little less, but the wines will keep very well. You know I’m really very happy.

And just before you go – how are you?

Tired, but very happy. My wife and daughter have come back and so we are together as a family after the hard work of the harvest. Yes, I’m very happy.

2006

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2005–2006 growing season finally drew to a close after an extended harvest and promises to result in good quality wines with deep color and intense fruit aromas and flavors. Data from our weather stations indicates that this was a cold, dry season.

The accumulated heat summation measured in degree days (based on 10°C / 50°F) between October 2005 and April 2006 was lower in all of the valleys (Aconcagua, Casablanca, Colchagua, and Curicó) than it was during the 2005 season and over the course of the past 7 years. The only exception was in Alto Maipo (Viñedo Chadwick), where both the heat summation and the season’s mean temperature were very similar to those of the previous season and historic values.

Lower heat summation resulted in a slower progression of the different phenological stages such as flowering, fruit set, and veraison, as well as an average delay of twelve days in phenolic maturation. In the Aconcagua Valley (Seña and Don Maximiano), for example, the season’s mean temperature was 18.2°C (65°F), which is .8°C (1.44°F) less than the historic average.

The primary challenge of the 2006 vintage was the particularly long wait for each variety to reach proper phenolic maturity, which resulted in higher sugar levels in the grapes. However, a cool, dry summer and an early autumn allowed us to wait patiently for phenolic maturity, thereby conserving the fruit and allowing good concentration with soft, well-rounded tannins.

The ripening season was rain-free with the exception of a single, low-intensity event in Casablanca (6.8 mm / .27 in.) and a couple of fronts during the month of April that left moderate-intensity precipitation in Colchagua (21 mm / .83 in) and Curicó (7 mm / .28 in).

We intervened in each of our vineyards throughout the season with pre- and post-veraison leaf-pulling to improve microclimatic conditions in the fruit zone, decrease the presence of possible green flavors, and encourage normal phenolic evolution. This conditioning of fruit zone, along with lower-than-normal precipitation allowed optimal levels of fruit health at harvest. The viticulture and enological teams were able to use the climatic records to foresee that the 2006 season would require repeated combing of the vineyards and extensive grape tasting to ensure that each plot was completely ripe. The use of vigor-map photos was an essential tool for dividing the vineyards into sectors of differentiated maturity and beginning the harvest in riper sectors of each vineyard while waiting for the remaining sectors to continue ripening.

It bears mention that this vintage’s colder season resulted in red wines with remarkably low pH levels of 3.55–3.65 that encouraged color intensity and helped create good health conditions. The low incidence of microbial contaminants stimulated good kinetics during the alcoholic fermentation and prevented problems during malolactic fermentation.

Regarding the harvest volumes, the season showed around a 10% increase of the total production compared with the harvest 2005, both in red and white grapes. The only variety with a significant lower yield was Chardonnay from Casablanca due to the September frost. At Viña Errázuriz, the total production was 13% higher than 2005, mainly explained by higher volumes in Sauvignon Blanc. In reds, the increase was only 5,8% compared with the 2005 volumes.

In sum, the secret to this season’s success was based on early recognition of the requirements of a colder season and a timely decision to drop fruit loads to facilitate ripening, as well as being patient enough to wait beyond the traditional harvest dates of the different varieties, which was possible thanks to the good health of the grapes due to the dry year and early leaf plucking.

Although it is unlikely that the 2006 red wines will reach the state of perfection of the 2005s because of the bigger berry size of this season, they already show tremendous aromatic and color intensity, juicy palates with sweet, round tannins and should lead to good to very good quality. The cooler conditions made this a very good year for white wines, especially for aromatic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer, because the lower temperatures allowed long, gentle ripening and helped maintain acidity and aromas.

ACONCAGUA VALLEY

Heat summation in the Aconcagua Valley during the 2005–2006 growing season was 1712 degree days, which is 5% lower than the previous season. The harvest season began slowly in late March with Merlot and ended in mid-May with Carmenère, although the vast majority of the picking was concentrated between the second week of April and the second week of May.

This season’s daily temperature oscillations were slightly narrower than the historic average (18°C/64.4°F vs 18.9°C/66°F), although the month of March saw a tremendous oscillation that reached 20.4°C (36.7°F), as opposed to the historic average of 18.8°C (33.8°F). This differential probably influenced the high concentration of anthocyanins found in this year’s red wines, which, when added to the season’s low pHs, result in wines with very vivid, intense colors.

The Merlots had another good season, and the wines show very good color, juicy palates, and round tannins.

The Shiraz is this season’s highlight variety in terms of quality consistency, proving once again just how well-suited it is to the Aconcagua Valley. The wines stand out for their intense color, sweet palate, classic complex notes of ripe black fruit and spices. The lots from the western side of the valley, which normally present highly concentrated tannins, produced surprisingly soft tannins this year.

In spite of this being a cool season, the long hang time produced Cabernet Sauvignon with color intensity, lush palates and good fruit concentration. Soft, sweet tannins, was the norm.

Weather conditions such as those experienced this season allowed for slow ripening, which along with careful canopy and irrigation management during the ripening stage were clearly common factors

for achieving good fruit expression, round tannins and elegance.

CASABLAN CAVALLEY

The 2005–2006 season began in late August with bud break in Chardonnay, which is normal according to individual plot records.

Damage from the September 11, 2005 frost essentially affected the Chardonnay because it was the only variety to have already budded. The result was a 20% reduction in the La Escultura Vineyard Chardonnay yields when compared with the 2005 vintage.

A review of the historic records shows that the accumulated degree days between October and December reached only 85% of the average for that period. Heat summation from October to April was 1442 degree days, which is 107 degree days lower than that of the previous season. As a result, the onset of veraison and maturity was twelve days later than average in Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

This lower heat summation resulted in slower ripening and a very good conservation of aromas, flavors, and acidity, which should have a positive impact on the quality of the Sauvignon Blanc. Overall, the wines retained very good acidity (Total Acidity was 6% higher than 2005) with low pHs (3,25 - 3,4), which lends freshness. They also show very interesting intensity, a broad range of aromas, and fresh and lively palates. All of the attributes described are the result of a vineyard management that sought to protect and encourage the complexity of aromas and flavors in the grapes.

The Chardonnay presents good, balanced palates with good acidity. They stand out for the tropical notes that are characteristic of the La Escultura Vineyard and the freshness of the fruit on the palate.

The Pinot Noir shows good tipicity and fruit intensity, along with surprising color intensity for a varietal not known for this characteristic. However, we are still waiting for it to develop more volume and softness on the palate.

MAIPO VALLEY(VIÑEDO CHADWICK)

Heat summation at Viñedo Chadwick in Maipo Alto registered 1768 degree days from October to April, which is nearly identical to the historic average and just 20 degree days lower than it was in the previous season.

Although heat summation and average temperatures did not vary significantly from historic values, there was a major difference in the way the fruit was harvested this year. Recognizing that the fruit on the morning sun side of the vine ripens more slowly than the fruit that receives the afternoon sun, we began picking with the afternoon sun side of the first plot on April 22, while the morning sun side of the same plot was picked a week later. This was essential for reaching the right maturity level in each plot without combining green or overripe fruit from one side with fruit at its peak of maturity from the other.

The differentiated harvest was complementary to the now-standard division of the property into plots according to vigor and maturity equivalents through the use of aerial vigor maps. This year the vineyard was divided into 8 lots, 4 of which were then sub-divided into 2 sub-lots by dividing the harvest by the two sides of the canopy, for a total of 12 fermentation lots.

It also bears mention that the fruit was still in perfect condition at the end of the season, with firm, healthy skins and without the presence of fungi associated with senescence.

Although it is still too early to make a definitive quality evaluation, generally speaking the wines have intense fresh-fruit aromas, velvety round tannins, and good structure and volume.

“It was a season that stubbornly tested our patience, but that promises good surprises”

Francisco Baettig
Chief Winemaker
Viña Errázuriz
May, 2006

2004 - 2005

GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2004-2005 season resulted in a very good harvest, from which we expect exceptional wines.

During the months of October and November the average maximum temperatures were 0.5 Celsius degrees less than normal and resulted in an average delay of 10 days for flowering and fruit ripening.

In general terms, there was an absence of rain during the fruit’s ripening season, and although there were some high temperatures, during March and April maximum temperatures were generally moderate.

The main challenge of the 2005 harvest was the long wait to reach phenolic maturity for each variety. The monthly heat summation was less than usual from the budding stage onwards.

As an example, in the Aconcagua Valley the accumulation of degree-days during the 2004-2005 season was 1730, 120 degree days less than in a normal year (1850 degrees -day).

The lower heat summation resulted in the slower development of the different phenolic stages such as flowering, setting, colouring and ripening, resulting in greater sugar levels in the clusters and a delay in the general phenolic maturity.

The fresh and dry climate allowed us to wait patiently until phenolic maturity was reached, ensuring that the fruit was preserved along with a good concentration of round and soft tannins.

From this, the agricultural and enological team could forecast that 2005 would be a season in which monitoring and tasting the grapes would be very important to ensure that each lot reached maturity.

Intervening with leaf-pruning and pre- and post-colouring was of the outmost importance in all our vineyards to improve the micro-climatic conditions for the fruit, decrease the presence of green flavours in the fruit and strengthen its normal phenolic evolution rate. The overall condition of the fruit and low rainfall ensured that it was in optimum condition when picked. Between the months of March and April 25mm of rain fell in the Aconcagua Valley and 50mm in the Lontue Valley.

VALLEY OF ACONCAGUA

In general, development was very slow and by mid March the tannins in the red varieties had started to mature bywhich time in previous years the Merlot and Sangiovese had already been harvested.

The harvest in the Aconcagua Valley took place between the first week of April and the first week of May. It began inMarch with Merlot at the Las Vertientes vineyard and ended by mid-May with Carmenère in Panquehue.

The reds are characterized mainly by a high concentration of antocyanins, giving wines of intense and lively colour aswell as full and structured mouths. 2004 was similar but in 2005 the tannins are sweeter and rounder.

In addition to a deep colour intensity, the Cabernets exhibit full mouths, tannins of great softness and sweetness, including the lots from the West of the Valley whose tannins are usually less sweet and firm.

Carmenère present great colour and sweet and soft tannins, showing the usual potential of this grape variety in theAconcagua Valley, especially when the vineyard is adequately worked upon in terms of balance, exposition of the fruit with leaf plucking and the correct maturity is achieved.

For a second consecutive year, the Merlots have given good results. The wines are exceptional, with very good colour and juicy, long mouths. The round tannins are quite different from the hard and even drying tannins usually produced by this difficult variety.

Climatic conditions caused slow maturation and together with careful irrigation during the ripening stage, undoubtedly resulted in the elegance and good fruit expression of this variety.

This year, Shiraz as well as Carmenère, again stands out in the Aconcagua Valley. The wines have good colour, mouth sweetness, and the already classic complex notes of black and ripe red fruits as well as spices. In the vineyard, this grape variety stood out for its vigour at the beginning of the season and for its generous production of clusters. To achieve quality grapes and thus wines, it was necessary to thin early in the season.

SEÑA ESTATE

During August 2004, preparation of the soil began ready for the planting of the second stage in the higher areas of the Seña property. Its total surface area measures 27 hectares, and contour terraces will be planted in the highest areas.

The varieties selected to be planted during July-August 2005 are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz and Petit Verdot. In April, the expert in biodynamics, Mr. Alan York, visited the property and will consult over the conversion of the Seña project from a conventional management system to a biodynamic system.

During his visit a review was made of the development of the property as a whole, the optimum location of each variety was analysed, and the first biodynamic preparations were carried out for next spring’s treatments.

In this area of the valley, Rabuco de Ocoa, the heat summation measured in degree days from October to April was lower than normal (1740 compared to 1900). This meant that be April the Merlot was barely reaching its optimum maturity and the Cabernet Sauvignon was three weeks away from harvest.

The vineyard was divided into different areas in accordance with vigour levels and ripeness follow-up, allowing us to make the correct harvesting decisions, proof that this is an extraordinary terroir and that this should be an outstanding vintage for Seña.

The Merlots exhibit intense and profound colour, and mouths with strong but ripe tannins.

The Cabernets reached good maturity after a prolonged wait, exhibiting good fruit intensity and structured mouths.

CASA BLANCA VALLEY

The unusual climatic conditions, in respect of a lower heat summation, was less evident in the Casablanca Valley due to its proximity to the sea. Heat summation recorded in our La Escultura Vineyard, located Northeast of the valley, was of 1480 degree-days, lower than the normal 1540 degree-days. Phenological processes such as flower and colouring were characterized as long and uneven, while the maturity of all lots was 10 to 15 days later than in 2004.

As a result of the rain on March 11th rain, the valley hit the news. The immediate effect was the development of acidic rotting in the Chardonnay. Once the first symptoms were observed, we treated the vineyard to stop the problem. The clusters that had been affected were removed although less than 5% of the fruit was destroyed and thus this did not have a big impact.

Sauvignon Blanc was not affected and we expect extraordinary quality. This season will probably be remembered as one of the best for this grape variety. The wines retained good acidity that provides freshness. They are remarkably intense, with a wide range of aromas, from citrus to tropical, but also floral and herbaceous notes and sweat, providing a fresh and lively style. Mouths are full and of good volume. These results have been achieved by careful vineyard management.

The Chardonnays exhibit good, balanced mouths and nerve. La Escultura’s characteristic tropical notes are highlighted, as well as the mouth volume of the 2005 wines. It remains to be seen if the intensity of the fruit increases over time.

The Pinot Noirs exhibit their typicity with good fruit intensity. The colour is amazing for its intensity in a grape variety that does not precisely stand out for this characteristic. However, they still need to develop mouth feel in both volume and softness.

COLCHAGUA VALLEY

In the Caliterra vineyard the beginning of the season lead us to expect a difficult harvest. Spring in Colchagua had many cloudy days, especially during the flowering period. In November, during the flowering term, we had 20mm rain.

Climatic conditions improved from December onwards, and finally the heat summation by April was of 1879.5º day, higher than the 1822º day historic-recorded.

In early March, 7mm of rain was recorded. After this climatic conditions improved during March and April and finally there were some exceptionally sunny days with the absence of morning fog. April was especially warm with average maximum temperatures of 27.9º C compared with the historic 23.2º C.

The good climate conditions however, over these last months did not have an effect, and the ripening process maintained its one-week delay in comparison with last year.

Important pruning in the cluster area was carried out in March for all varieties, to ensure good exposure to sunlight.

With controlled irrigation and good climatic conditions we were able to wait until maturation to start the harvest.

By the end of February we began the harvest, picking Sauvignon Blanc at its peak, giving wines with high tartaric acidity, adequate alcohol and great aromatic intensity.

The red varieties were harvested when ripe, with the optimum level of tartaric acidity, healthy skins and lignified seeds.

We began to harvest Merlot on March 28th, later than the previous year (March 10). Careful irrigation meant that there was a very low collapse in this variety and excellent maturity. As last year, the greatest part of our Merlot was harvested at night to facilitate cold macerations and enhance its aromatic intensity.

As usual, Cabernet Sauvignon exhibited its structure, concentration and personality, but softer, round tannins, a result of the work in the vineyard. Shiraz and Malbec surprised us again with their great colour, structure, concentration and soft tannins, with intense ripe fruit and perfume.

This year’s great revelation was the Petit Verdot with big but soft tannins and a deep black colour. Carmenère was picked in May as usual, producing ripe fruit and sweet, soft and gentle tannins.

CURICO VALLEY

As in most of the Chilean valleys, in Curico the harvest was delayed by the effect of the lower heat summations recorded in the summer. Budding, and subsequently flowering, was delayed by 5 days due to a fall of 2º C in the average mean temperatures during September. The spring term was characterized by strong bud growth favoured by 41 mm of rain in October, 100% more than last year. Rain instability persisted during the flowering period. A fall of 45 mm of rain harmed flowering and therefore setting in Chardonnay and Merlot varieties, in spite of having blunted the tips of the buds in flower to favour setting. No important rainfall occurred during the months of February, March until mid-April.

This year’s Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs exhibit good aromatic expression and good natural acidity that will provide the future blends with longevity and freshness. A lot that always marks the quality of Curico’s whites is the Sauvignon Blanc from Patagua, which this season excels in quality, character, sweat notes and vibrant acidity. The natural acidity of the wine is of 6.4 gr/l this year, against 5.8 gr/l in 2004, reflecting a positive quality trend in this grape variety.

The harvest of the reds in general was delayed for approximately 10 days beginning with Merlot on March 20th and finishing with Carmenère on 8 May. One of this season’s positive qualities is the more intense and deep colour existing in most of the lots. The Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits the typical red fresh fruit of the zone of Sagrada Familia. The mouth feel presents tannins that will require time for ripening and roundness.

The Merlot provided its customary quality, with wines of great colour, medium body and good aromatic intensity, mainly with notes of fresh red fruits.

This season the Shiraz and Carmenère stand out for their quality. The Shiraz has an exceptional colour with very good typicity, exhibiting red fruits and meaty flavours, with soft and easy tannins. They are very fresh wines, palate-friendly.

There is a greater diversity in the quality of Carmenère, as compared to the 2004 vintage. Within the aroma profile, there is a wide range from sweet spices and cloves to green pepper, including soy sauce, roasted pepper and ripe red fruit. In most cases they have a deep and intense colour and juicy, sweet tannins.

“Overall we are quite happy with the vintage. We have been compensated for our patience by high quality wines.”
Francisco Baettig, Head Winemaker, Viña Errázuriz In spite of the forecasts, it was an excellent year... We have red wines exhibiting very good colour, concentration, with ripe fruit, soft and pleasant tannins”.
Gonzalo Bertelsen, Head Winemaker, Viña Caliterra “2005, a high-quality harvest.... by waiting patiently we have been repaid with a harvest of healthy, quality fruit.”

Raúl Baumann S. Viticulturist
June, 2005

2003

The spectacular 2003 vintage is a clear example of why Chile is called a viticultural paradise. Mother nature blessed us with a long, dry, sunny autumn which we will long remember.

Winter and spring were very humid, and an "El Niño" weather pattern menaced early in the growing season. Luckily enough the child never arrived. As the season progressed, weather conditions grew windier than normal and humidity was particularly low. Bloom occurred under cool conditions in most valleys, triggering high shatter in many varieties. Fortunately, the original number of inflorescences was substantial, so the shatter balanced the vine load with fewer berries per cluster. It also provided the added benefit of loose clusters, which are less susceptible to rot than tight ones. What started as a very cool and vigorous growing season, however, took a dramatic turn when a heat wave hit at the onset of veraison. It was warm and dry from there on out.

The cold spring and cool early summer delayed ripening by at least a week or two. Picking patterns were very similar to those of the 2000 vintage, although the crop was smaller and the quality higher. Flavours and tannins were very slow to develop. The extra hang time that was needed to ripen the fruit should contribute to very complex and fine wines, as we are seeing in the first tanks finishing fermentation.

Fruit for our Icon wine program was harvested at dawn and in the very early morning. In some cases we actually started picking at midnight and continued through dawn to preserve the cool night-time temperatures. The fruit was then delivered to the winery by refrigerated trucks, using small 15 kilo trays to avoid bruising the grapes. An initial hand selection on special sorting tables was followed first by destemming and then by a second, berry-by-berry hand sorting to remove any remaining green bits and damaged berries.

ACONCAGUA VALLEY (Viña Errázuriz and Seña wines)

Winter saw more rain than usual: the valley received 900 mm in all, mostly concentrated at the onset of winter. Spring was cool, but weather patterns turned warmer than usual in summer. Heat summation reached 1,961 degree days, and Panquehue registered the highest temperature in its recorded history toward the end of January, reaching 39º Celsius. It is now mid-May and we have yet to receive even a drop of rain-just the occasional foggy morning to ease the summer heat. Slow ripening and a supremely dry climate have meant one of the latest vintages in recent memory, with picking extending well into May.

In Cabernet Sauvignon, yields were lower than expected and lower than average (4 to 10 tons per hectare). Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère yields were normal (8 to 14 tons per hectare).

Don Maximiano Estate

The Cabernets have focused cherry flavours with fine tannins that led us to carry out long macerations to increase length on the palate. The Carmenère wines are inky and lush, with intense soy sauce and fig flavours. The Merlots have good colour, jammy flavours and lower tannins than past vintages. The Syrahs have excellent colour and lively flavours, and a few will finish their fermentations in barrel. Maximiano Cabernet Sauvignons are all about spicy flavours and a balanced mouthfeel from start to finish. The Sangiovese looks very good, with excellent mouthfeel.

El Ceibo Vineyard

The Cabernet from El Ceibo has the perfumed fruit flavours typical of this vineyard, with medium weight on the palate. The Carmenère was the last lot picked in 2003, coming in on 13 May. It is an inky wine with good depth and layers of flavour. The Syrah once again is one of the stars of the winery; it shows an intense combination of red meat and black fruit flavours, with polished tannins.

Hijuelas Sector: Las Vertientes Vineyard

The Merlots from this vineyard have excellent colour and spicy flavours. The Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc also have deep colour and ripe flavours and will make prime blending components. The Syrah has very pronounced varietal aromas and good flavours, but it needs barrel aging to fill out the middle palate. Las Vertientes Cabernets feature big colour and blueberry syrup characters, although the middle needs to be filled in with barrel ageing.

Ocoa Sector: Seña Estate

Because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the cold Humboldt Current, the Ocoa sector is one of the coolest red wine sites in the Aconcagua Valley. It is producing outstanding Merlot that is sure to be a key component of the Seña blend. The Cabernet was all harvested the last week of April and looks to be of excellent quality in the fermenters. For harvest, the vineyard was broken down into sectors based on vine vigour and then hand harvested into 15 kilo picking boxes. The fruit was sent to the winery on refrigerated trucks so the cold grapes could be hand sorted at the winery.

CASABLANCA VALLEY (Viña Errázuriz, Arboleda and Caliterra white wines)

La Escultura Estate

Since Casablanca lies just inland from the Pacific coast, it generally experiences less variation in climate than the interior valleys. This year, however, the usually cool region had an exceptionally warm growing season, with temperatures reaching 39º Celsius for the first time in 12 years. Heat Summation in the growing season was 1,621 degree days. The 2003 vintage in Casablanca looks promising. We are seeing a good balance of sugar, acidity and flavours. Picking started very slow until an unusually warm week in March got the sugars climbing and speeded up harvest. Chardonnay yields were as expected (9 to 11 tons per hectare), while Sauvignon Blanc yields were slightly lower than expected. The Sauvignon Blanc wines look clean and aromatic. We picked the fruit at the peak of ripe flavours, with a good balance of sugar and high natural acidity. Some lots of Sauvignon Blanc were selected for "tray picking" and they are proving the merit of the technique. The wines are very clean and elegant with mineral, spice, tropical fruit, lime, tangerine and grapefruit flavours. Our clonal block has more green pepper and grassy notes. We ferment half of this lot in five-year-old barrels to add another layer of complexity. We are now blending and preparing the wine for bottling.

This is the second vintage for our Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Last year, the wine was created by selecting and blending the best lots after fermentation was completed. This year, we started right in the vineyard in spring by tailoring vineyard management practices in the blocks that produced the best lots last year. Once ripe, the grapes were harvested early in the morning and transported to the winery in 15 kilo bins in refrigerated trucks to keep temperatures low throughout the process. The result is a very elegant wine with interesting citrus and chili pepper characters.

Our Chardonnay lots are in different stages of fermentation. Most are dry and undergoing malolactic fermentation. Some are already sulphured and finished, while a few late lots are only just finishing alcoholic fermentation. The quality is very good-fruit driven with forward tropical fruit and citrus flavours and good acidity. We are putting all the Max Reserva and Wild Ferment lots through malolactic fermentation to lower the high acidity and give more mouthfeel. The Wild Ferment lots are still bubbling away. We hope they will all finish their fermentations as they did last year, giving us good quality and plenty of options for blending.

The Errázuriz Wild Ferment Pinot Noir has good flavours and colour. A few lots are finishing up fermentation in barrel.

CACHAPOAL VALLEY (Caliterra wines)

Chardonnay from this valley will add ripe fruit flavours to the Caliterra Chardonnay blend. Cabernet Sauvignon was picked at its peak, with ripe aromas and soft tannins. Carmenère grapes were picked at the end of April and beginning of May; the wines look very interesting with good balance, concentration and colour. Syrah is also showing very good quality. Very deep colour, soft tannins and a distinctive, spicy flavour profile will give us plenty of blending options.

COLCHAGUA VALLEY (Arboleda and Caliterra wines

)

This was a perfect vintage for Colchagua. The highest temperature recorded in the Colchagua Valley was 38º Celsius at Arboleda Estate; heat summation was 1,820 degree days. Irrigation started very late in the summer to keep the berries small, yielding fruity wines with intense colour. So far, the Malbec looks better than ever. The Merlot is also very promising, thanks to a lot of walking the vineyard waiting for the right moment to pick and being very selective with block selections. Cabernet Sauvignon is still fermenting and looks really good. Because of the ideal weather conditions we waited until May to pick some lots. Our Syrah looks great, with lots of perfume and density. Overall, the wines are showing ripe red fruit flavours and nice structure.

CURICO VALLEY (Viña Errázuriz and Caliterra wines)

El Descanso Estate

This year, curiously enough, heat summation in the Curicó Valley was only 1,720 degree days, significantly cooler than its usual average of over 1,800 degree days. The highest temperature recorded was 36.5º Celsius. Spring was extremely cool in the valley, which affected the season's heat summation.

The white wines from Curicó are looking clean and ripe. They should offer very good components for the Caliterra programs and Errázuriz varietals sourced from this Valley. We harvested the Sauvignon Blanc at different stages of ripeness to provide more blending options and to achieve a good balance of expressive fruit and good acidity. The red lots from Curicó also appear to be very good quality. We were able to leave the grapes on the vine till very late in the season, since the fall weather brought neither rain nor humidity. The Cabernet looks great for our Caliterra program, with nice colour, dark fruit flavours and firm tannins. The wine is now being put into barrel to soften its structure and increase complexity. One of the new things we tried this year was fermenting Syrah and Carmenère in open-top 10 ton concrete lagares and old raulí fermentation vats. Winemaking like it was done a century ago! The idea was to get better extraction and better contact with the skins, as well as better concentration due to higher natural evaporation. We still have to wait a few months to see how it goes, to give the wine some time in barrel. Unfortunately, we only produced a small amount of wine this way, but we learned a great deal from the experiment.

VINTAGE 2003: A PERSONAL VIEW

Ed Flaherty on being a winemaker during harvest "It's always hard to sum up the harvest after three months of hard work, especially since it is only just starting to wind down. I remember lots of driving, walking endless rows of vineyard and tasting green grapes looking for something to bring into the winery. Half our fruit was still out there in the middle of April!"
Rodrigo Banto on Casablanca Valley
"One of the highlights of the vintage was having options. Options to pick different producers, different blocks, bins versus boxes, small or big trucks and -most important of all- a variety of food. This vintage our choices included Pablowski (a cheap local source of Chilean favourites), Lomitón (fast food), Beto's refreshing Mote con Huesillos (a traditional Chilean specialty) and the very elegant Restaurant Morandé. That's a big improvement over years past."
Sven Bruchfeld´s view of the 2003 vintage
"This was one of those great years in Chile when nature gives you plenty of opportunities to make nice wines."
Pedro Izquierdo´s reflection on the vintage
"A ripening season to frame in gold."

Edward Flaherty
Viña Errázuriz
Chief Winemaker

Rodrigo Banto
Viña Caliterra
Chief Winemaker

Sven Bruchfeld
Viña Errázuriz
Winemaker

Pedro Izquierdo
Viticulturist
Errázuriz Family of Wines

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

2001

The 2001 harvest was a waiting game which peaked in intensity in mid April when we harvested over 50% of the reds in a two-week period. The waiting game continued in the winery with lots of sluggish ferments in about every variety except Carmenère which blasted along to our delight, because it was the last variety to pick. Overall I think we have some excellent wines in the winery this year although the blends will be smaller than what we expected.

The growing season started off with a strange weather pattern that mixed very cool and very hot days. Early summer weather of November through January was warm with hot spells. In February we experienced a heat wave that stopped berry growth. March had overall very good ripening conditions. We had a 9mm rain in the Curicó Valley in late January with no effects on ripening. In late March it rained 7mm in the Aconcagua Valley. The next rainfall was in mid April with 7mm falling in Aconcagua, 9mm in Maipo and 16mm in Curicó Valley. Our Max Reserva quality fruit was picked before the first rain in Panquehue. A week later another storm that did not touch the Aconcagua Valley brought 5mm of rain in the Maipo and Casablanca Valleys and 16mm in Curicó Valley.

Every vintage has its mysteries and this vintage was the sugars. Although we had for the most part optimum ripening weather from February through April with a small to medium size crop, we had very slow sugar accumulation in most varieties in most regions. It seemed that the grapes would ripen 12° alcohol potential and then just stop for a couple of weeks to a month. The effect of this extended hang time is that most of the reds have very soft tannins and ripe flavours. In the white wines we have ripe flavours with lower alcohols than previous vintages.

Aconcagua Valley

In the Aconcagua Valley it was an excellent year overall, especially for Merlot and Syrah. In general, the crop was very small with yields of 4 to 8 tons per hectare. This was the first year of production from our Las Vertientes vineyard in the Aconcagua Valley. The vineyard produced an average of 4 to 5 tons per hectare with excellent Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It is interesting to note that ripening at Las Vertientes was at least two to three weeks later than in Panquehue and had less rain fall during the vintage. These wines will give us more blending options for our Max Reserva and Estate wines in the future.

Casablanca Valley

The harvest in Casablanca started in March. Ripening was very slow in the valley. There was some 1% botrytis clusters in a couple of sections of late ripening Chardonnay, but in general the fruit came in with lower alcohol potential than previous years which I see as a positive. The Sauvignon Blanc of Casablanca is better every year. I think we have more body and weight in the wines and still retain the classic aromatic aromas of Sauvignon Blanc. As for Pinot Noir our La Escultura vineyard is producing wonderful Pinot Noirs.

Rapel Valley

We have started to source fruit in the Rapel Valley to produce a Merlot Cabernet blend under the Errázuriz label. The Rapel Cabernets have lots of red berry and cherry flavours with good acidity. The Merlots have beautiful blackberry and coffee notes for the blend.

Curicó Valley

The 2001 vintage started as always with our morning harvest of El Descanso Sauvignon Blanc from Curicó. The wine has classic lemon and melon aromas and flavors. The new sections of clonal Merlot have come into production and are now aging in barrel. These new sections will give us more blending options for our Estate Merlot. The older Merlot/Carmenère blocks at El Descanso were harvested in late April through the first week of May. They have the classic blackberry and coffee aromas with a rich mouth feel.

Edward Flaherty
Viña Errázuriz Winemaker

Panquehue, May-2001

2000

After the quiet harvest of 1999 which did not even fill up the winery, the 2000 vintage was a crazy one for receiving fruit. Healthy yields together with new plantings coming into production meant lots of grapes to pick, crush and ferment. I spent much of the harvest on the cellular phone trying to coordinate grape reception at Viña Errázuriz.

It was a strange year for weather. The growing season started off with a cool, moist spring followed by a late spring frost that hit the Casablanca Valley on the 6th of December. Then we had an unusual rain on the 12th of February. The Rapel and Curicó valleys received rainfall with 30mm, followed by Casablanca (25 mm) and Maipo (15mm); the Aconcagua Valley was virtually unaffected reflecting one of its climatic particularities that makes it so unique for grape growing. The rain in Curicó coincided exactly with the ripening of our Sauvignon Blanc. As soon as we could get back into the vineyards, we undertook selective picking for clean fruit, leaving any botrytis-infected bunches on the vine. The weather following the rain was bright and sunny, and the conditions remained ideal for ripening until the middle of April. Even so the cool spring set back the vines considerably, and late ripening was prevalent through Chile. On April 13th another storm brought rain all over Chile. The majority of the Aconcagua fruit had been harvested before, but in the Maipo Valley, the storm delayed the harvesting of the Cabernet Sauvignon, which was still ripening. The long harvest finally came to a close on the 17th of May, a full two weeks later than normal.

Given the high fruit set and unusual weather conditions, vineyard management was crucial this vintage. The vineyards had high vigour due to plentiful rainfall during the previous winter, as well as late spring rain showers this growing season which kept the soil profile moist. Canopy management started early as we removed crowded shoots to distribute the clusters better on the vine and allow good light penetration for the induction affecting next harvest. The shoots often had three clusters, which gave us an early indication that this would be a big crop; thinning the shoots thus served to reduce yields. Because of the wet cloudy spring conditions, intensive leaf stripping was also essential to improve air circulation for the prevention of botrytis and to get more light into the cluster zone for ripening.

As for the wines, the 2000 vintage has produced some striking results. In Casablanca, our new clones of Sauvignon Blanc are starting to produce wines with more nerve and more grassy melon aromas. The Chardonnay lots are bright wines with apple, pear, citrus and tropical flavours. We decided to make higher percentage of Wild Ferment Chardonnay this year to give us more options for the final blends. Most of the lots are still bubbling away in barrel (six weeks later). I can only cross my fingers and hope that most of them will finish. These lots display rich yeast characters, with notes of butter, sweet onion and crusty bread. We also decided to use native yeast on our Casablanca Pinot Noir to gain more complexity from the young vineyards, These lots are very spicy with fruit flavours.

The sugar accumulation of the El Descanso Merlot was early this year, but we had to wait for the flavour profile to develop. The wines exhibit delicious jammy berry notes.

Here in Aconcagua Valley, I am very excited about the consistent quality of the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon lots, which have more Bing cherry flavours than I remember in previous

vintages, together with and elegant, rich mouth feel. I don´t think I´ve ever had so much wine of this quality in the winery, so the blending sessions will be especially fun.

It was a difficult year for Syrah because of the slow ripening. To ensure quality, we did a lot of thinning well into the ripening period. Our efforts paid off: the new wines are showing vibrant fruit flavours ranging from blackberry to black pepper. Aconcagua Carmenere was also difficult to ripen in 2000 because of high vigour and good crop level for the first time in several years. We did intensive leaf pulling to open up the canopies and get more direct sun to the fruit, and we waited until May to pick. The resulting wines are rich with red pepper, soy sauce and dark roast coffee characters.

Despite the challenges that the vintage presented, I am very excited about the results. I believe that all our vineyard work during the growing and ripening seasons will show in the quality of the wines. Overall I rate this vintage as a wild ride which should produce wines of exceptional personality.

Edward Flaherty
Chief Winemaker

1999

1999 is a low wine production year in Chile. Yields in the vineyard are down 30 to 50% on the record 1998 vintage. These low yields are the results of the cool, wet "El Niño" spring of 1997 interfered with induction (fruitful buds), as well as the very dry winter and spring of 1998. This holds for almost all varieties in almost all regions of Chile.

El Descanso Estate - Curicó

We started the 1999 harvest in Curicó with our Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the El Descanso Estate. The wines have grassy, apple and dried flower flavours, with better acidities and lower alcohols than 1998. Our Merlot from El Descanso has its classical herbal blackberry and coffee flavours with deep color.

La Escultura Estate - Casablanca

In the Casablanca Valley, the Sauvignon Blanc produced green apple, pear and grassy notes with bright acidity. Chardonnays have golden apple, lemon, ginger, tropical and bubblegum characters. The Wild Ferment Chardonnay lots have beautiful notes of toasted bread and tropical fruit. Finally, we harvested Pinot Noir from four different vineyards in the Casablanca Valley.

Don Maximiano Estate - Aconcagua

The harvest in the Aconcagua Valley was late this year, with ripe potential alcohol and ripe jammy flavours. The drought conditions combined with late picking seem to have lowered the nutrients in the must, nutrients that are critical for completing fermentation. Some red fermentations have taken almost four weeks to go dry. The new wines have some of the most concentrated tannins and fruit flavours ever seen in Chile.

As for our Syrah, we believe we have finally unleashed the beast. Boysenberry, blackberry, spice, leather and earthy flavours, together with mouth?filling ripe tannins, will make this one of the wines to look for in 1999. The Merlot from the Don Maximiano vineyard has lovely blackberry fruit and is silky in texture. The Cabernets from Don Maximiano are elegant, with dried cherry and berry flavours. These wines are very dense in texture with a ripe, somewhat astringent mouth feel.

The 1999 vintage in Chile will be remembered as a waiting game ? waiting for the flavours and tannins to ripen, so harvest could be started, waiting for the fermentations to go dry, so the final result of our work could be tasted. But, I believe the 1999 Errazuriz wines will be worth the wait.

Edward Flaherty
Winemaker
Viña Errazuriz