Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it has also made for some pretty good wine. Beginning in the 1980s, some “curious” Old World winemakers looked west and wondered if they could make great wines in the New World. After all, most of the good vineyard land in Europe was already spoken for, and what was available was pretty pricey. So, these curious winemakers scouted various New World locations, and when they found promising areas they started new vineyards.
- Usually, they planted Old World grapes and tried to make wine as similar as possible to what they were used to. After several decades of experimentation and fine tuning their approach to suit the new area, these ventures tended to turn out rather well.
Chile is a great example. It has made wine since the time of the conquistadors, but by the 20th century its wines lagged the international competition in quality. Enter Miguel Torres, from Spain’s Penedès Region, whose winemaker father sent him to explore Chile. Miguel liked what he saw, bought an old winery, updated it with modern technology and planted French grape varieties. That marked the start of Chile becoming a serious player in the international market. His success showed that Chile could make high-quality wines, and attracted other Europeans, such as the Lapostolle family (of Grand Marnier fame), and Bordeaux’s Lurton family.
- Chileans themselves aren't big wine drinkers, preferring beer and a local spirit called pisco. So, Chile exports about 70% of its wine production. This contrasts with neighboring Argentina, which consumes the majority of its wine production domestically, and in our experience they keep much of the good stuff for themselves!
Which brings us to the Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite), which created one of the first foreign-sponsored wine projects in Chile. The company has a long and prestigious wine making history -- its crown jewel is Château Lafite Rothschild, one of the top five Bordeaux chateaux. When it decided to establish a New World vineyard, it sent experts to evaluate numerous properties before it found a site that had an ideal location and soil conditions. In 1988, in it established Viña Los Vascos, which has 1,400 acres of vineyards (pictured above) in the Colchagua region of Chile's Central Valley. Los Vascos produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Carmenère and their signature wine, Le Dix de Los Vascos (a predominantly Cab blend made from old vines). It's worth noting that Le Dix costs only about $50, but it can be a little difficult to find.
Our wine of the week is a 2016 Los Vascos Grande Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($15 retail). This is an "estate wine" (they grow all of their own grapes) that's aged for 12 months in French oak. We were pleasantly surprised by its quality and value, and have added it to the Wine Concepts list of favorites.
- Los Vascos changed its philosophy over the years from trying to make a good Bordeaux style wine to trying to make the best possible Chilean wine. And they succeeded. Had we tasted this wine blind, we would have thought that it was at least a $30 or $40 bottle. It had subtle aromas of red fruit, chocolate, tobacco, and a hint of spice. This is an intense, full-bodied wine, with mild tannins and a medium length finish. It has 14 percent alcohol.
- This is a perfect pair for a nice steak, but it would also go well with grilled pork or lamb. It helps to decant it for an hour to allow the wine to open up.
Given the price point of the Los Vascos (and other Chilean) wines, these can be a nice alternative to pricier California cabs.
Cheers!