The unique terroir in the Viñedo Chadwick vineyard is composed of ancient terraces of gravel alluvial soils that once supported Alfonso Chadwick's beloved polo field.
Puente Alto DO. is considered the cradle of premium Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile, the country's best terroir for producing Cabernet Sauvignon of exceptional finesse and quality.
Viñedo Chadwick is located 650m above sea level at Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley, in the southeastern sector of Santiago at the foot of the Andes Mountains, along the northern bank of the Maipo River.
The vineyard is located on an old alluvial terrace. Two main types of substrata have been identified over the whole estate, both from fluvial origin: predominantly well-rounded gravel and pebbles in a fine-grained matrix, transported over a great distance (several kilometres) from the Andes by the Maipo River, and locally fine-grained alluvium deposits that accumulated at the top of fluvial bars with less important steam flows than in the main channels.
The Mediterranean climate has a long, dry season, and rainfall is concentrated in the winter, while the high-temperature oscillation between day and night is one of the main factors responsible for the intense colour of die wines. The elevation ensures that nights are cool and the crisp morning breezes blowing down from the Andes Mountains moderate daytime temperatures and allow the grapes to ripen to perfection while preserving their fruit intensity and acidity.The cool morning breezes blowing down from the Andes Mountains moderate daytime temperatures and allow the grapes to ripen to perfection while preserving their fruit intensity and acidity.
"One enterprising Chilean wine producer, Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuris, has managed to organize a similar evolutionary milestone for the Chilean wine industry or at least of his own wines... at what will doubtless come to be known in the History of Chilean wine as the "Berlin Tasting""
Jancis Robinson
