Errazuriz Max Reserva Chardonnay 2017
- Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Decanter
Errazuriz is doing an outstanding job with Chardonnay and is now undoubtedly a leading name on the world stage. This is a style that wears its oak on its sleeve but in a stylish way, with toasted-nut and clotted-cream aromas leading into a complex but refreshing palate and an energetic, revitalising finish.
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James Suckling
Aromas of cooked apples and pie crust and floral undertones make for a ripe nose. Full and soft on the palate with plenty of fleshy stone fruit, but the crunchy acidity carries this through to a driven finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Luis Gutiérrez Issue Date 31st Oct 2018 Source 239, The Wine Advocate The first Chardonnay I tasted from Errázuriz, the 2017 Max Reserva Chardonnay has moderate alcohol and high acidity, produced in an austere, mineral and fresh style. It fermented in oak barrels, with some 30% of the volume going through malolactic, and then it matured in barriques for 11 months. I was really impressed by this wine, which set the pace for the style of the 2017s. It was a warm year, and they managed to take advantage of that to get their fruit to ripen early by controlling yields, and they think they really got the harvesting dates right. The wines are sharp and fresh, unlike the general character of the year. They didn't have any influence from the terrible fires that decimated the country. In fact, in Aconcagua Costa 2016 was slightly warmer than 2017. This has the pure and fresh style they are getting famous for—crisp, with integrated oak, transparency, verticality and minerality on a vibrant and focused palate. Great Chardonnay at a great price.
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Errázuriz is recognized as perhaps the single top-quality producer of Chilean wines, within recent years. Eduardo Chadwick, President, was named Decanter Man of the Year 2018, and the winery was awarded Best Chilean Winery 2017 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. As an estate winery, Errázuriz strives to produce the finest wines by controlling every stage of the winemaking process, from grape growing in the Aconcagua, Casablanca and Curico valleys, to winemaking with the most natural techniques. An emphasis is placed on the delicate handling of the wines, with the aim of producing wines of elegance and complexity. It is this dynamism and passion for wine that has made Errázuriz such an internationally respected producer of quality wines.
Don Maximiano Errazuriz founded Viña Errazuriz in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley, north of Santiago. This valley has cool, rainy winters, hot, dry summers and moist Pacific Ocean breezes--ideal for growing grapes. Don Maximiano sent for the finest clones from France and with tenacity and perseverance transformed this barren land into a world-class vineyard. Today, the tradition of quality lives on with Don Maximiano's descendant, Eduardo Chadwick--the fifth generation of his family to be involved in the wine business. Eduardo has overseen the modernization of the winemaking technology at this historic estate while maintaining a distinct identity for its wines, dedicated to producing estate grown wines of superior quality.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The Aconcagua River runs east from the charming costal town of Valparaiso and bisects the land creating the valley after which it was named. While alluvial soils predominate the Aconcagua Valey along its river throughout, its east-west flow creates drastically different conditions on each of its ends. Its western, seaside vineyards, with clay and stony soils upon gently rolling hills, produce cool-climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its inner region is one of Chile’s hottest and produces some of its best red wines. Panquehue in the inner Aconcagua is the site of Chile’s first Syrah vines, planted in 1993.