Maipo Valley is one of Chile's most important wine-producing regions. Located just South of the capital, Central-valley/maipo-valley/santiago">Santiago, Maipo Valley is home to some of the country's most prestigious wines. It is often described as the 'Bordeaux of South America', and Rich, fruit-driven Cabernet Sauvignon is undoubtedly its most celebrated wine style.
Maipo is at the very Northern end of Chile's extensive Central Valley, running from just north of the Rapel Valley up to where the countryside begins to give way to houses and roads in the southern suburbs of Santiago.
The Coastal Range separates the area from the Pacific coast, and on the eastern side, the Andes Mountains rise suddenly and dramatically, separating Maipo from the Argentinean region of Mendoza.
The Maipo Valley is the home of viticulture in Chile. The first vines were Planted around Santiago at the city's birth in the 1540s, but it wasn't until the 1800s that viticulture began to expand significantly, as an indirect result of entrepreneurial Chileans growing rich from the Mineral wealth found in the Atacama Desert to the north. It became fashionable for these wealthy individuals to travel to France, and they inevitably returned home with vines to plant in their New, French-influenced wine estates.
The vineyards of Cousino Macul, Concha Y Toro and Santa Rita were developed during this period, and they remain today important names in the Chilean wine industry.
The region can be roughly separated into three broad areas: Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Maipo Bajo.
The vineyards of Alto Maipo (or Upper Maipo) run along the eastern edge of the Andes Mountains, where they benefit from altitudes of 1300-2500ft (400-760m) above sea level. At this height, Warm sun during the day is followed by colder nights, which slow ripening.
Spanish, more precisely from the Duero Valley where it is still very present. According to some ampelographers, it is close to Cabernet Franc.
red wines from the region of Maipo Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of blanquette of monkfish with small vegetables, lamb tagine with figs or duck breast with black figs.
On the nose in the region of Maipo Valley often reveals types of flavors of oak, dark fruit or black currant and sometimes also flavors of red cherry, red fruit or blackberry. In the mouth in the region of Maipo Valley is a powerful with a lot of tannins present in the mouth.
There are historic links between the area and the Frescobaldi family, which will make Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG wines at Tenuta Calimaia. Frescobaldi originally acquired the estate last year, when it was known as Corte alla Flora, and has now relaunched it within the group’s portfolio of Tuscan wineries. Tenuta Calimaia vineyards. Photo credit: Marchesi Frescobaldi. Montepulciano’s beauty ‘is literally breath-taking’, said Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Marchesi Frescobaldi. ‘Here, i ...
Rhône 2021 en primeur vintage rating: Northern Rhône: 2.5/5 Consistently excellent white wines, but reds very mixed due to severe frost and a mild, rainy season. Some are weak and green, others very good in a fresh and structured style. Southern Rhône: 2/5 Fresh, bright, intense white wines throughout the region. A hard frost reduced yields and produced a fragile harvest for reds. Quality is mixed; many wines lack ripeness, but there are some very good wines in a lean, fresh style with relativel ...
When the northern Rhône faces a difficult vintage, it’s often Crozes-Hermitage that bears the brunt, which was the case in 2021. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Crozes-Hermitage 2021 wines See all 400 Rhône 2021 tasting notes and scores See the Rhône 2021 full vintage report and top scoring wines {"content":"PHA+SXRzIHZpbmV5YXJkcyBhcmUgbGFyZ2VseSBmbGF0LCB3aGljaCBtYWtlcyB3YXRlciBtYW5hZ2VtZW50IHByb2JsZW1hdGljLCBsZWFkaW5nIHRvIHNlcmlvdXMgZGlsdXRpb24uIEZvbGx ...
