May 2019

Name: Errazuriz - Kai - 2019
Brand: Vin du Monde
Price: 108.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

Errazuriz

108,00 €

A high-precision Chilean Carmenère, where the depth of fruit meets the elegance of the Andes.

Chile

Vin Red

13.5%

10 years +

100% Carménère

750ml

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Let's talk little, let's talk wine

Carved out of the hillsides of the Aconcagua Valley, north of Santiago, Kai primarily originates from the Don Maximiano vineyard, near Panquehue, in the heart of one of Chile's most renowned terroirs. Nestled at the foot of the Andes mountains, the vines benefit from a Mediterranean climate tempered by cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean, significant temperature variations, and well-drained, stony alluvial soils, which promote a slow and complete ripening of the Carménère.

The Carménère grapes are hand-harvested, carefully sorted, and then destemmed before a cold pre-fermentation maceration. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with gentle pump-overs to extract color, aromas, and fine tannins. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in French oak barrels. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels, mostly new, for an extended period, to refine its structure, impart aromatic complexity, and harmoniously integrate the oak.

This wine reveals notes of blackberry, black plum, and cherry, enhanced by hints of violet and peony, followed by spicy nuances of black pepper, clove, and cocoa, supported by an elegant oakiness of cedar and vanilla. The palate is full and concentrated, carried by fine tannins, well-integrated freshness, and a long, flavorful finish.

Where are we traveling?

Aconcagua Valley

It is located approximately 100 kilometers north of Santiago, in a spectacular valley that takes its name from Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas at 6,961 meters, whose eternal snows feed the river that carved this terroir. The vineyard extends from the warm and arid heights of the interior of the valley, protected by the Andean foothills, to the coastal hills of Aconcagua Costa, open to the fresh Pacific breezes, forming a wine corridor with exceptional climatic amplitude. Viticultural history truly began in 1870, when Don Maximiano Errázuriz founded his eponymous estate in the Panquehue sector, convinced that this warm and sunny valley could produce great red wines — a visionary gamble that would give birth to one of Chile's most emblematic estates. For over a century, Aconcagua remained synonymous with powerful and concentrated reds, until the discovery of Aconcagua Costa's potential in the early 2000s overturned all certainties: these granite hills, swept by sea winds and bathed in Pacific fogs, proved capable of producing whites and Pinot Noirs of a finesse no one imagined possible in Chile. The climate oscillates between hot and dry Mediterranean in the interior valley, where scorching summers are tempered by cool winds descending from the Andes, and distinctly cool and maritime on the coast, where temperatures struggle to exceed 25 degrees in summer. The soils are equally contrasted, from the stony alluvial and clay-limestone soils of the interior to the decomposed granite rocks and quartz of the coast. Aconcagua Valley has forged a fascinating dual identity, producing on one hand monumental Cabernet Sauvignons and remarkable deep Bordeaux blends in the warmth of Panquehue, and on the other vibrant Sauvignon Blancs, chiseled Chardonnays, and elegant Pinot Noirs on the windy slopes of Aconcagua Costa, embodying better than any other region Chile's ability to excel at both ends of the spectrum.

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.

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