Let's talk little, let's talk wine
Nestled in the upper Elqui Valley, in the heart of the Andes Mountains, the De Alcohuaz vineyard stretches across granitic slopes located between 1,800 and 2,200 meters above sea level. This extreme terroir in northern Chile benefits from intense sunshine, cool nights, and a dry climate, promoting slow grape maturation. The poor, stony soils, cultivated using sustainable farming practices, give rise to characterful wines, marked by great fruit purity and a strong Andean identity.
Made from high-altitude vines, this wine is produced from hand-harvested grapes, with meticulous sorting upon reception. Fermentation takes place in concrete vats, with a proportion of whole clusters, to preserve the freshness and purity of the fruit. Extraction remains gentle to respect the finesse of the tannins. Aging then occurs in large oak casks and concrete eggs, on fine lees, to maintain the terroir's identity and add complexity and texture without imparting new oak flavors to the wine.
This wine reveals notes of ripe black fruits, crunchy red fruits, and violet, complemented by hints of pepper, sweet spices, and delicately toasted wood, with a subtle mineral imprint. The palate offers a full and fresh texture, supported by fine and structured tannins, a lively acidity that prolongs the tasting experience, and a persistent, flavorful, and harmonious finish.
Where are we traveling?
Elqui Valley
It is located in northern Chile, about 470 kilometers north of Santiago, in the Coquimbo region, where the Atacama Desert begins to give way to the Andean foothills. The vineyard unfolds in a narrow and steep valley, carved by the Elqui River, between 500 and 2,000 meters above sea level, in a lunar landscape of arid mountains, cacti, and absolutely clear skies — the region is home to some of the most important astronomical observatories in the world. Its viticultural history is intimately linked to Pisco, Chile's national brandy, of which Elqui has been the historical birthplace since the 16th century, with its massive Muscat plantations. For centuries, no one imagined producing anything else here, until audacious winemakers like Marcelo Retamal of De Martino and the Carabantes family of Viña Falernia dared, in the late 1990s, to plant noble grape varieties at high altitudes, convinced that this extreme terroir offered unique conditions in Chile. The climate is desertic and arid, with more than 300 days of sunshine per year and almost no rainfall, but the thermal amplitude between day and night is spectacular — sometimes more than 20 degrees difference — and the dry air descending from the Andes offers the grapes slow ripening and intense aromatic concentration, without the slightest pressure from fungal diseases. Elqui Valley has proven to be one of the most exciting frontiers of Chilean viticulture thanks to its vibrant and peppery Syrah with unexpected freshness, its crisp and mineral Sauvignon Blanc grown at high altitudes, its delicate Pinot Noir from the highest plots, and its Muscat, heirs to the Pisco tradition, witnesses to a pioneering valley that pushes the boundaries of what Chilean wine can offer.
The little history of the country
Chile
It was Hernán Cortés who ordered the cultivation of vines upon the conquest of Mexico in 1524. It gradually spread from Mexico southward, reaching Chile in 1555. During the first three centuries of colonization, only país, a characterless and very productive black grape variety, was cultivated in Chile. It was not until the mid-19th century that noble varieties were introduced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, mainly. Twenty years later, winemaking was modernized under the impetus of wealthy landowners and French experts who had been forced out of work by phylloxera in Europe. Chile stretches 4,300 kilometers from north to south. It is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and the Patagonian plains and glaciers to the south. These natural barriers prevented phylloxera from entering the country. Although the country is only 160 kilometers wide, it enjoys ideal conditions for growing grape varieties from warm, intermediate, and cool regions, so much so that it is often described as a vineyard paradise. With nearly 300 estates producing bottled wines, Chile ranks between 6th and 8th in the world.