Viña Errazuriz: 150th anniversary tasting of Don Maximiano

Viña Errázuriz was founded by Don Maximiano Errázuriz in 1870, when he planted the first French grape varieties in the Aconcagua Valley in Chile.

Today Eduardo Chadwick, the fifth generation of the family, is the winery’s president. Errázuriz now owns vineyards in the Casablanca and Curicó Valleys, as well as Aconcagua; and produces a varied range of over 35 wines.

Scroll down for a selection of recently-tasted Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve tasting notes and scores

In 2020, which proved a challenging year for Chile’s winemakers, Errazuriz celebrated its 150th anniversary. Decanter joined Francisco Baettig, head winemaker at Viña Errázuriz since 2003, for a vertical tasting of the winery’s icon Viña Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve.

‘Don Maximiano is a classical wine; one of the first premium wines from Chile. But it’s been under the shadow of Seña,’ says Baettig, referring to the celebrated joint venture wine created by Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi in 1995.

Originally launched in 1983 as a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, aged in beech vats rather than oak, the style of Don Maximiano has evolved over the years. ‘This vertical tasting shows the evolution of Don Maximiano, but also the evolution of Chile over the last 30 years,’ comments Baettig.

Chile’s evolving wine scene

The 1980s witnessed the beginning of a winemaking revolution in Chile, with the development of the international market and the introduction of new technology. This was the decade when Eduardo Chadwick joined his father Alfonso at Viña Errazuriz, prompting a focus on producing quality and terroir wines with the arrival of the winery’s first French oak barrels.

By the 2000s Chile had become one of the world’s largest exporters of wine. But this success was a double-edged sword, according to Baettig. ‘In the 1990s we planted a lot, everywhere. We wanted to produce because we were successful in export, but we made mistakes in this approach.’

Subsequently the winery has researched clone selection, exploring cooler areas and planting the right vines in the right place. It pioneered plantings in Aconcagua Costa (coast), which became an appellation in 2010. In the same year the ultra-modern, gravity-flow Don Maximiano Icon winery was opened to produce Errazuriz’s top-end wines.

In the vineyard

The Don Maximiano vineyard is located in the Aconcagua Valley and has a Mediterranean climate, with a long, dry growing season and moderately warm summer days. This enables long ripening periods, helped by cooling Pacific breezes in the evenings.

The oldest plots in the Don Maximiano vineyard are Max I, Max II and Max V. ‘Vine age is very important,’ notes Baettig. ‘Root systems need to develop; young vines perform very differently to old vines.’

Max I, Max II and Max V, all planted on north- or northeast-facing slopes on coarse alluvial soils. In addition Max I has igneous rocks, sandy loam and a significant amount of mica; while Max II has sandy/clay loam and angular stones. Max V, situated near the Aconcagua River, has rounded stones, contributing towards its excellent drainage. ‘The fruit from Max V gives round and fat tannins and lovely aromas,’ explains Baettig.

‘In the last 10 years we have worked a lot with a technical team in order to better understand the terroir in Aconcagua,’ says Baettig. Recent work with geologist Françoise Vannier-Petit to analyse the Max vineyards has led to a reassessment of the wine. ‘We’ve fine-tuned the style to create more balance and freshness.’

In the winery

A vertical tasting of the 2017, 2013, 2006 and 1989 vintages of Don Maximiano perfectly illustrated the evolution of winemaking style. The 1989 was strikingly different from modern-day incarnations of the wine: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in beech vats for five to seven months and with a modest abv of 12%.

Don Maximiano remained a 100% Cabernet wine until 2004, when it became a blend with Carménère and Cabernet Franc. Subsequently the blend has broadened to also include Malbec and Petit Verdot in different proportions, depending on the year.

The 2006 was made up of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, destemmed and fermented in stainless steel, then aged for 18 months in new French oak. ‘In 2006 we were trying to produce luscious, rich wines in response to the market,’ explains Baettig.

‘We started to change the style little by little, probably from 2010 onwards,’ he continues. ‘We built the icon winery in 2009, which was first used in 2010, the year of the earthquake.’

By the 2013 vintage, the oak regime had changed, with the wine spending 22 months in French oak, 65% new and 35% second-use. The blend contained less was Cabernet Sauvignon (77%) along with 10% Malbec, 6% Carménère and 5% Petit Verdot. ‘Malbec is a very nice variety, it adds floral notes, a little bit of violet,’ says Baettig.

‘For me the big change really happened in 2014, 2015, when we moved to earlier picking,’ he adds. ‘In the past, we were obsessed by concentration and ripeness and avoided any hint of balsamic character. Today, I think Cabernet, Carménère, they naturally have a little balsamic character; it’s OK.’

He concludes: ‘I want to have ripe, round, elegant, tannins, but at the same time I want to avoid the excess of sweet finish that is a bit heavy, and to have a refreshing acidity. This is the style that we aim for.’

The current, 2017, release of Don Maximiano has 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 12% Malbec, 8% Carménère, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Again the oak treatment has been tweaked: 22 months in French oak, 65% new.

Read on for scores and tasting notes of these four wines and other vintages of Don Maximiano.

See a selection of recently-tasted Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve tasting notes and scores

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