Description
Errazuriz, Viñedo Chadwick
“100 Point Wine.” What are you visualizing? I’m sure it’s iconic Brunello and Super Tuscan producers; Cult Napa in the realm of the Harlan-Bond-Promontory triumvirate; Northern Rhône labels such as Guigal’s “La Las” and Chave’s L’Hermitage; and certainly Bordeaux titans like Margaux, Lafite, Pétrus, and Cheval Blanc. In essence, all members of this highly exclusive and exalted club are considered the créme de la créme of luxury wine in the eyes of critics. Conversely, I know what you’re not visualizing: Chilean wine.
So what if I told you the sleeping giant that is Viñedo Chadwick has routinely bested First Growths in blind tastings (more on that below) and is the proud owner of multiple 100-pointers, including today’s heavenly 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon? We know it’s priced beyond the reach of most casual drinkers, but the rare opportunity to offer a perfect-scoring white whale, from such an unlikely place, could not be ignored. There is very little to go around—I can hold our entire parcel with two hands—and much more to say about the wine, so I suggest securing a precious bottle or two and coming back to read the extraordinary story behind this flawless, First-Growth-toppling Cabernet. Complimentary shipping on one bottle.
BONUS: Because we enjoyed a private vertical tasting courtesy of Michel Couttolenc, we can also part with a single bottle of Viñedo Chadwick’s 2015 release. Available here.
In 2004, a single Berlin event changed the landscape of luxury wine forever, and I’d wager only a few of you are even aware it happened. Co-hosted by Steven Spurrier, of 1976’s Judgment of Paris fame, three dozen of Europe’s finest palates blind tasted an embarrassment of Cabernet-based riches from the 2000/01 vintages with one objective in mind—single out the best bottle. Here are a few labels that were in attendance:
Lafite 2000 | Margaux 2000 | Margaux 2001 | Latour 2000 | Latour 2001 | Solaia 2000
As the results were announced from lowest rank to best, a stunned and perhaps nervous silence filled the room before a frenetic roar of applause: Coming in at first place was Errázuriz’s “Viñedo Chadwick,” a Chilean Cabernet enjoying just its second-ever release. ¡Increíble!
Over the next decade, proprietor Eduardo Chadwick held no less than 20 blind tastings to see how his First Growth-toppler matured against the competition. Time and again, it continued coming out on top. During these years, the startling results were disseminated throughout the wine industry, yet the airwaves still remained relatively unclogged. And then, in 2016, Viñedo Chadwick earned its golden stripes when James Suckling called the ’14 release “the La Mission Haut Brion of Chile” and awarded it a perfect triple-digit score, a first for Viñedo Chadwick and the country as a whole. Further adding to the fame, Eduardo went on to become Decanter Magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 2018, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded his estate “Best Chilean Winery” in 2017.
The most premium label under the Errázuriz estate—and all of Chile—Viñedo Chadwick is named in homage to Eduardo’s father, Alfonso Chadwick Errázuriz. However, the story behind Viñedo Chadwick is not steeped in centuries of winemaking history or a hallowed, time-honored terroir: It’s a contemporary success through and through focused on expert farming, precise harvesting, and master craftsmanship in the cellar.
In 1945, Alfonso, among Chile’s most accomplished polo players, built a pitch on his estate grounds while also laying out a vision for a new winery. Decades of success followed before his son assumed control, and in the early 1990s, Eduardo made his boldest move yet by converting the family’s polo field into a vineyard that now serves as the sole source for today’s epic wine. Clearly, Eduardo Chadwick’s ambitious project has paid off.
The vineyard today spans 15 hectares that are perched at over 2,100 feet of altitude. In 2017, the grapes were harvested a full month earlier than the year prior, yields were halved, and the crop was double-sorted at the cellar. In other words, what little fruit emerged was among the most precious and balanced they’d ever harvested. Fermentation occurred in a combination of stainless steel and concrete tanks with thrice-daily pump-overs. Upon completion, 80% of the resulting wine was transferred into brand new French barrels with the remainder being fed into used Stockinger foudres. After 22 months of maturation, it was meticulously blended and bottled.
While today’s 2017 did in fact receive a coveted “100 point” review, we didn’t let it cloud our judgment: We tasted four vintages, 2015-2018, and the perfect scoring wine wasn’t revealed until after we’d selected a favorite. Two of us chose 2017, and the other chose 2015 (which is also being offered here). Truly, it’s impossible not to get wrapped up in its beauty. If you think you know Chilean Cabernet, I simply must disagree if this wine has never graced your lips. What cannot be overlooked or overstated is the elegance, balance, and brilliant savor of this red—and the fact that it clocks in at just 13.5% alcohol! It is a complete, exceedingly polished Cabernet Sauvignon that is in perfect harmony…full of deep, silky layers that stretch and last for 30 seconds. It’s a seductive, graceful smoke show that’ll easily cellar for 15+ years, and likely keep taking down First Growths and Super Tuscans along the way!
