Vinedo Chadwick, Maipo Valley 2020

Gorgeous nose with tobacco, cherry and strawberry nuances, incredibly aromatic. Beautifully textured and supremely balanced, so smooth with tannins that are there but fine and gently supporting the fruit. Everything in balance. Coffee, cinnamon, liquorice, all gentle and nuanced just giving the small details. Feels well controlled and purposeful. There is concentration no doubt but this has exceptional acidity, fruit forwardness, concentration and poise. A full bodied wine with plenty going on but finessed with a real sense of class to it. Delicious and so drinkable even now. Ageing 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new) and 25% foudres.

The 2020 Viñedo Chadwick fermented in stainless steel and concrete or troncoconic vats, and this year more of the wine matured in Stockinger foudre—more than 25% of the volume—for 22 months. They did a softer extraction to compensate for the warmer year, and the moderate alcohol helped to keep the oak extraction to a minimum; as a result, the wine comes through as very harmonious and elegant. It has good ripeness and an absence of herbal and minty aromas; the wine from older vines behaves better—the grapes ripen and the alcohol (with good management of the irrigation) with moderate yields produce this unique Cabernet. The palate is round and velvety, keeping very good freshness and a texture and mouthfeel that does not reflect a warmer year at all. This is delicate and juicy with very good intensity of fruit and no room for sweetness or over-ripeness. A triumph over the natural conditions of the year. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled the 1st of February 2022.

The focus for this iconic 15ha estate is firmly on dark fruits and powerful Cabernet Sauvignon character, with its muscular tannic structure and intense red and black fruits wrapped up in bitter chocolate. Slow-build spices, this shows a different side of Chile, and the heat of the vintage comes through not in flavour - the fruit is fresh and supple - but in power and super-charged concentration. I'm always a big fan of what they achieve here, and winemaker Francisco Baettig has done an excellent job of harnessing the potential of the site and its 30 year old vines. Harvest began March 12 and was finished by the beginning of April, keeping this relatively low alcohol, with winemaking focusing on lower temperatures to moderate the natural power and tannic architecture of the vintage. Clear ageing potential. 25% in large Stockinger oak casks, 75% new oak.

Drink 2025 to 2038.

The 2020 Vinedo Chadwick is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard of 15 hectares in the foothills of the Andes. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens a little broody, requiring some swirling to release notes of warm cassis, redcurrant jelly, black cherry preserves, and pencil shavings, plus suggestions of tar and dried Provence herbs. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is vibrant and delicately styled, delivering firm, chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing earthy.

The 2020 Viñedo Chadwick was made in a warm, early ripening year and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 22 months, three quarters in new French barrels and the rest in foudres. The ripe nose features blackcurrant, ripe plum and blackberry underneath prominent herbal notes and sweet spices aromas from the aging process. Intense with a rich palate. The wood takes control in the mouth before the slightly compact finish is compensated for by the velvety, opulent feel. A pure wine with a fruity finish.