Deep ruby color; black cherry, blackcurrant, plum, vanilla, coconut, oak, tobacco, minerality on the nose and palate.
Dry; significant, elegant tannins, not as grippy as the 2018 vintage I reviewed. Significant accommodating acidity (3.42 pH). Balanced. Rich, extended finish. The 2022 growing season was cooler and drier than 2018, reducing yields and concentrating flavors. Blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, 5% carménère, 3% petit verdot. This contrasts to the 2018 blend of 90% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet fanc, 3% carménère, 1% petit verdot, demonstrating the winery’s adaptation to what nature presents. 14% ABV
Viña Maqui traces its roots to the 18th century when Jesuit priests worked the vineyards. In the 19th century, two Chilean presidents used the property for cabinet meetings and built brick bridges so their ministers could attend even in rainy seasons. Remains of the bridges can still be found on the Maquis Estate.
The Hurtado family purchased the property in 1916. In 1927, their winery was one of the first buildings in Chile to be made of concrete, the vision of owner and engineer Ignacio Hurtado. In 2002, the Hurtado family built a new, modern winery to emphasize artisanal winemaking that would better evoke their terroir. They are known for their cabernet franc, making them somewhat of an outlier in Chile.
Viña Maquis was among the first producers in Chile to gain sustainability certification. There is an energy recovery system based on geothermal heat pump technology. This earned the winery the 2013 Innovation Prize for energy saving and carbon footprint reduction awarded by the British-Chilean Chamber of Commerce. The vineyard has reduced its electrical consumption by 30% and its liquified gas requirements by 90%. In addition to biological corridors to host beneficial insects, birds, and animals, 2,600 sheep control weeds in winter and spring and spend every evening in the vineyard’s weaker areas to increase soil fertility.
Ricardo Rivadeneira Hurtado is the executive director and winemaker today. He trained in engineering, agronomy, and enology in London and Santiago de Chile. He refined his skills at Charles Krug in Napa Valley and Château Branaire-Ducru in France. He became general manager of Maquis in 2005 and executive director in 2019. Rodrigo Romero is the chief winemaker. He earned a degree in agronomy at the Universidad Católica de Valparaiso and a post-graduate degree in wine production technology. After working in wineries throughout Chile, France, Italy, and Franciscan Estate Winery in Napa, Rodrigo joined Maqui in 2013.
Viña Maquis Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2022—excellent dark fruit aromatics and flavors. Viña Maquis is best known for its cabernet franc—and that is in this blend—but this effort demonstrates their clay soil between two rivers can produce a quality cab, too. Family owned and operated for more than a century. This is a red meat wine. Pair with grilled ribeye steak, prime rib roast, beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce, blue cheese burgers with caramelized onions; wild game—venison, roast duck with cherry reduction, wild boar; herb-crusted rack of lamb, slow-roasted leg of lamb with rosemary. Can work with lighter meats—roasted pork loin, grilled pork loin, baby back ribs; roasted chicken and turkey. What grows together goes together—Chilean beef empanadas, churrasco completo (Chilean steak sandwhich). Grilled portobello mushrooms, eggplant moussake, lentil and muchroom Wellington. Cheese—aged cheddar, aged gouda, gruyère; aged sheep’s milk cheese; gorgonzola; avoid soft-ripened cheese such as brie, camembert, triple-crèmes; fresh goat cheese such as chèvre; salty hard cheese such as parmigiano-reggiano. $18-23
