Chile, often referred to as ‘the long, thin country,’ boasts a rich tapestry of microclimates and grape varieties, underpinned by a deep-rooted winemaking heritage. Its striking flora and fauna can call to mind a Jurassic Park-style ‘land that time forgot’ – and that metaphor can be extended to the country’s vineyards.
Grape varieties that fell out of favour decades ago in Europe are still grown and given serious attention here. In terms of red grapes, Carmenère is the most prominent example, but the same applies to Cinsault and Carignan. Equally, ‘international’ varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir, many planted in the 1990s, are the basis of excellent wines too.
This year’s Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) show an enormous range of choice, particularly for red-wine lovers. Chile laid claim to an impressive 23 Gold medals (15 of which were for red wines), its best-ever set of results.
And, for the second year running, a Best in Show accolade went to a varietal Carmenère. This year it was Santa Carolina, Herencia Carmenère, Los Lingues, Colchagua 2020 (97 points), which judges described as ‘vivid, fresh and vibrant, the fruit tones achieving unusual subtlety and complexity’.
Santa Carolina’s premium wines winemaker Alejandro Wedeles Pacheco said of the winning wine, ‘We aim to express the true essence and potential of the Carmenère grape variety, which is emblematic of Chilean viticulture. Our goal is to capture the richness, complexity, and elegance that this variety can offer.’ The first vintage of this ‘icon’ wine was 2007, the year Wedeles Pacheco joined Santa Carolina.
Scroll down to explore Chile’s top-awarded red wines from DWWA 2024
Carmenère: Chile’s flagship variety
Carmenère was brought to Chile from Bordeaux during the 19th century. Post-phylloxera, this late-ripening grape was grubbed up and rarely replanted in France. In Chile, meanwhile, it is the third most-planted red variety (after Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot), with nearly 11,000 hectares (ha), many of them ‘heritage’ plantings.
The variety is capable of great things in its adopted homeland. ‘Carmenère, once nearly extinct, has found a perfect home in Chile,’ said Wedeles Pacheco, ‘particularly in the Peumo area within the Cachapoal Valley DO. Peumo is renowned for its exceptional terroir, characterised by its clay-loam soils and a microclimate ideal for this late-ripening variety.’
It’s not a variety without challenges, though, being sensitive to poor weather during harvest. But ‘when conditions are right, the results are spectacular, yielding wines with rich, dark fruit profiles, peppery notes and silky tannins.’
Interestingly, Santa Carolina has embarked on a project that harks back to Chile’s pre-phylloxera past. ‘Since 2012, Santa Carolina has been developing Bloque Herencia, an ambitious R&D initiative aimed at recovering pre-phylloxera, virus-free DNA material from rootstocks brought to Chile during colonial times and the 19th century,’ explained Wedeles Pacheco. The aim, he said, is ‘to enhance the diversity of our project components to create more dynamic and less monotonous wines’.
In addition to the Best in Show accolade (awarded to just 0.28% of wines entered this year), two Carmenère varietal wines won Golds. Judges described Viña Del Nuevo Mundo, Las Niñas Ella Reserva Organic Carmenère, Apalta, Colchagua 2022 (Value Gold, 95 points) as having ‘abundant ripe damson, blueberry and black plum with smoky tobacco and dried herb notes’. Concha y Toro, Terrunyo Carmenere, Peumo, Cachapoal 2021 (95 points) impressed with its ‘smooth, velvety texture and austere, refined tannins’.
Chile’s other red-wine ‘big hitters’
Syrah may be a relative newcomer to Chile (it’s only been a variety of note here since the 1990s) but it is generating much excitement of late. Depending on where this chameleon variety is grown, it can be made in a huge range of styles.
This year’s three Gold-winning Syrahs, Errazuriz, Syrah, Aconcagua Costa, Aconcagua Valley 2021 (96 points), San Pedro, Kankana Del Elqui, Elqui Valley 2021 (96 points) and Viña Mayu, Gran Reserva Titon Vineyard Syrah, Elqui Valley 2020 (Value Gold, 95 points), are all from cooler-climate areas (Elqui Valley and the relatively new Aconcagua Costa DO).
Pinot Noir plantings account for just over 4,000ha (about one tenth of Cabernet Sauvignon plantings) but winemakers are using the country’s diversity of terroirs to show what this grape can do, particularly in the areas where the proximity of the Pacific Ocean has a cooling effect, including the Casablanca and Leyda Valleys.
Gold medals went to Cono Sur, 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley 2021 (95 points); Viña Morandé, Vitis Única Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley 2022 (95 points); and Leyda, Lot 21 Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, San Antonio 2022 (95 points).
‘Cool-climate Chilean Syrah and Pinot Noir are two real gems of Chilean wine,’ commented DWWA Acting Regional Chair Amanda Barnes. ‘They can offer such great value but also excitement with great varietal and regional identity.
‘I think Chilean coastal Syrah is some of the best in the world, and it was nice to see some great examples in the competition. Pinot Noir has a lot more competition worldwide, but Chile is definitely heading in the right direction with wines of greater elegance and poise.’
Not surprisingly, given that it’s the most widely planted variety in Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon was another big hitter in this year’s DWWA, with two Golds – for Viña Morandé, House of Morandé, Maipó Valley 2021 (95 points) and Espíritu De Chile, Intrépido Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Curicó 2022 (Value Gold, 95 points).
Underdogs on the rise
Dig deeper into the medal table, and stories of previously under-loved ‘underdog’ varieties emerge – key among them Carignan and Cinsault. Both varieties were planted in the earlier decades of the 20th century and, after long periods of neglect, are on the rise.
One Cinsault blend was awarded a Gold – Miguel Torres Chile La Causa Del Itata, La Causa Cinsault-País-Carignan, Itata Valley 2021 (95 points), a blend of 65% Cinsault with 23% País and 12% Carignan. Two Golds were awarded to Carignan varietals, both from the Maule Valley – Longaví, Soberano, Maule 2021 (95 points) and Viña Terranoble, Azara Carignan, Maule 2022 (95 points).
‘Chile should be making more of these varieties,’ believes Barnes, ‘as the country has a plethora of excellent-quality old vines and really great regions in the south to produce them. It is probably one of the most exciting categories that comes up in the competition, and easy to see why – wines of character, identity and often excellent value’.
The Maule Valley renaissance
Maule Valley enjoyed its best-ever performance at this year’s DWWA, claiming no fewer than five Golds, including the two Carignan wines cited above. J Bouchon, Granito Semillon, Maule 2022 (96 points) is made from old-vine Semillon, planted in the 1940s and unirrigated.
Viña Undurraga, Field Blend, Maule 2021 (95 points) is 90% Malbec, the remainder Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and País, from interplanted bush-trained vines ranging in age from 80-100 years old. Judges enjoyed the ‘wild floral and pomegranate flavours, which showcase the delicious typicity of the Maule region’ in Sutil’s Limited Release Garnacha, Cauquenes, Maule 2023 (96 points).
There’s clearly quite a lot afoot in this once-overlooked region.
‘I am really excited about the renaissance in Maule in recent years, with winemakers focusing on the great potential there for white and red wines,’ said Barnes. ‘We had some fantastic Semillon and Chenin Blanc from the region, as well as some thrilling Malbec blends, and a nice mix of red varieties. Maule is one of the great regions of Chile’s past and future, and I think the wines shone in the competition this year as a result of all the hard work happening in the vineyards and cellars.’
That is a sentiment that can be applied more broadly to the country as a whole. We may think of it as a ‘New World’ country, but Chile’s wine history dates back centuries. And now, its winemaking past and present are coming together in ways that hold great portent for the future.
DWWA 2024: Chile’s top-awarded red wines to try
Carmenère
Santa Carolina, Herencia Carmenère, Los Lingues, Colchagua 2020
97 Best in Show
For the second year running, Carmenère is Chile’s flag-bearer in our Best In Show selection. This one hails from Los Lingues, up on the northern border of the Colchagua Valley – a small sub-valley in its own right, nestling under the grandeur of the Andes, and a noted Carmenère hotspot. Dark black-red in colour, the wine has lively, spicy, meadow-like scents supporting ample red fruit. On the palate, it’s vivid, fresh and vibrant, the fruit tones achieving unusual subtlety and complexity and with soft, coaxing tannins helping to fill the palate out further and lend the finish a savoury allure. If you prize drinkability, though, you’ll find this a fine wine with classic ease and grace in the glass. Alc 14.5%
Concha y Toro, Terrunyo Carmenere, Peumo, Cachapoal 2021
95 Gold
A stylish event, brimming with blue fruit, bramble leaf and minty perfume, with a smooth, velvety texture and austere, refined tannins. Well-honed and luxuriously long. Alcohol 14%
Viña Del Nuevo Mundo, Las Niñas Ella Reserva Organic Carmenère, Apalta, Colchagua 2022
95 Value Gold
Abundant ripe damson, blueberry and black plum with smoky tobacco and dried herb notes interspersed. Rounded and firm with a meaty complexity and mouth-watering tannins. Super! Alc 14%
Cabernet Sauvignon
Espíritu De Chile, Intrépido Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Curicó 2022
95 Value Gold
Glistening with juicy blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherry fruit, exuding vibrance and freshness across the nose and palate and finishing with fragrant herbal and pepper infusions. Alc 13%
Viña Morandé, House of Morandé, Maipó Valley 2021
95 Gold
Engaging blackberry, plum and cassis with layers of cedar, dried herb and mint character and deftly managed graphite tannins. A contemporary style with a long, mineral finish. Alc 13.5%
Carignan
Longaví, Soberano, Maule 2021
95 Gold
Striking fresh raspberries and wild flowers with a savoury lick of roasted red pepper laced with enriching tannins and pure acidity which invite you to take another sip. Alc 13.5%
Viña Terranoble, Azara Carignan, Maule 2022
95 Gold
A delicious fluidity of pomegranate and berry fruit and lively rose florals which bounce joyously over the racy acidity and expressive tannins. Lovely flair and typicity. Alc 13.9%
Grenache
Sutil, Limited Release Garnacha, Cauquenes, Maule 2023
96 Gold
Blooming with wild floral and pomegranate flavours which showcase the delicious typicity of the Maule region. Enchanting and racy with crunchy tannins and an exuberant finale. Alc 14%
Pinot Noir
Cono Sur, 20 Barrels Limited Edition Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley 2021
95 Gold
Opulent summer berries, sweet cassis and pomegranate with dried tobacco leaf unfurling to reveal complex, textured tannins and a glossy acidity. Nicely evolved, mellow and lengthy. Alc 14%
Leyda, Lot 21 Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, San Antonio 2022
95 Gold
A haunting perfume of autumnal berries, red cherry and dark florals mesmerise and inspire with a fresh tension of acidity and shapely mineral tannins. Youthful and elegant. Alc 13.5%
Viña Morandé, Vitis Única Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley 2022
95 Gold
A flourish of fragrant florals, ripe strawberries and red cherries which exude varietal character. Precise and taut with a bracing acidity and long savoury, salt-infused finish. Alc 13%
Syrah
Errazuriz, Syrah, Aconcagua Costa, Aconcagua Valley 2021
96 Gold
Luminous violet, mint and black cherry perfume bustle onto the satin, smooth palate with poised tannins and a ravishing nip of sea weed freshness on the finish. Alc 13%
San Pedro, Kankana Del Elqui, Elqui Valley 2021
96 Gold
Sultry black olive, dense black fruit and dark chocolate notes emerge and permeate the fleshy texture, finely woven tannins and lifted acidity. Long, lingering and toasty. Alc 14%
Viña Mayu, Gran Reserva Titon Vineyard Syrah, Elqui Valley 2020
95 Value Gold
Shining with plump red fruit and cassis which brings sweetness to the savoury core of black olive and charred toast, all striding confidently to the black pepper finish. Alc 14.5%
Blends
Miguel Torres Chile La Causa Del Itata, La Causa Cinsault-País-Carignan, Itata Valley 2021
95 Gold
Vivid mango and pineapple tropics meld with asparagus, herb and wet-stone minerals. Bursting with vim and vigour with pulsating acidity and a long citrus finish. Alc 12.5%
Viña Undurraga, Field Blend, Maule 2021
95 Gold
A multitude of inky blue and black fruits, dried herbs and mint which mingle beautifully with the seductive tannins and smoky, graphite core. Finessed and charming. Alc 14.5%