Errázuriz Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve

Errázuriz, Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve, 750 ml
Variety: Assemblage
Viña Errázuriz, Aconcagua Valley
Composition: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carménère, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec
Vintage: 2011
Oenologist: Francisco Bäettig

Pairing:  This remarkable and unique wine should be pair with game meats, dishes featuring green peppercorns, or a variety of cheeses. Serve within 6 years of bottling at 16-18°C (60-68°F).

Tasting notes:

Colour: Don Maximiano 2011 shwos a deep reddish-violet colour.
Aromas: Don Maximiano 2011 features red fruit aromas of cherries and strawberries, along with notes of cassis, plums and figs. Its fruity character is enveloped by emerging aromas that recall cloves, cinnamon, and liquorice along with a hint of toasted chestnut.
Palate: Good amplitude and great depth result in a balanced wine with fine-grained tannins. The palate recalls the fruit aromas perceived on the nose, accompanied by notes of cocoa and coffee, and touches of pencil lead and truffle. The acidity lends a juicy mouthfeel that gives way to a lingering finish with excellent persistence. Overall, it is a wine with tremendous complexity and elegance that presages a very favourable evolution in the bottle.

Category:

The Don Maximiano vineyards are located in the Aconcagua Valley and the oldest among them are Max I, Max II and Max V. The region has a long dry season with moderately warm summer days cooled by the soft evening breezes that enter the valley from the Pacific Ocean following the course back to the origin of the Aconcagua River deep into the Andes Mountains. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère vines were planted in 1978 and 1993, respectively, while the Petit Verdot was planted in 1999. Most of the vineyards are planted on north or north-eastern facing hillsides with 5-25° of slope. The soils are volcanic, colluvial and piedmont (Max I and II) or alluvial (Max V) in origin, with good drainage and low to moderate vigour. The soils of both Max I and Max contain 30-40% stone content. The 50% stone content and deep alluvial soils of Max V provide excellent drainage and produce well-balanced plants with moderate vigour. The vertically-trained vines are spur- and cane-pruned, depending on the variety and specific conditions in the vineyard. Aerial photographs allow us to identify homogenous sectors within each vineyard and harvest these individually according to the progress of the berries in each lot. Climate: Mediterranean, with a long dry season and rainfall concentrated in winter. Soil: Max I: Volcanic soils of colluvial or piedmont origin. Max II: Deep colluvial soils with loam to sandy-loam texture and 30–40% stone content. Max V: Deep alluvial soils with 50% stone content.

The hand-picked grapes were carefully transported to the winery in 12-kg boxes then inspected on a double sorting table to remove any extraneous plant matter or imperfect grapes that could affect the final quality of the wine. The must was fermented in small-volume stainless steel tanks to maximize contact between the juice and the skins, using selected yeasts at temperatures that fluctuated between 24° and 28°C (75° and 82°F). Three daily pumpovers moved 0.5–1.5 times the volume of the tanks, depending on the level of extraction desired in each case. Total maceration time was 16 to 35 days at 24°–28°C (75°–82°F), depending on the development of each lot. All of the lots were aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, 85% of which were new. Malolactic fermentation, clarification, and stabilization occurred naturally in the barrels. To best express the Aconcagua Valley terroir, small percentages of Malbec, Carménère, and Petit Verdot were added, enhancing the wine’s complexity.

The Harvest Dates for the Cabernet Sauvignon vintage was from April 9 to 25, for Petit Verdot was April 16, for Malbec was March 28 and finally for Carménère, the last one, the vintage was in May 12. The historical average temperatures (October–April) was 17.9°C/ 64°F, the daily average temperature oscillation (October–April) was 18.5°C/ 33° F, and average annual precipitation was of 250 mm/10 in. The season for this 2011 Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve was cold, with average temperatures lower than the historic average. The average temperature in January, the warmest month, was 19.3ºC (67°F), 4% lower than the average of the past three years and 5% below the preceding year. Total heat summation was 1,493 DD—58 DD fewer than in the previous season and 78 DD less than the average of the past three seasons. As a result of these conditions, the harvest was delayed approximately 7 to 10 days. The grapes reached harvest in excellent condition, which resulted in wines with very good aromatic expression, fresh red and black fruit, lower alcohol levels and pronounced acidities. This led to wines that are fresh and persistent, with depth, elegance and balance.

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