Vik becomes latest Chilean producer to join La Place de Bordeaux

Chilean winery Vik is to join La Place de Bordeaux with the launch of its 2019 vintage of its flagship wine VIK in March, as the number of Chilean producer on the French négociant system rises. 

The wine will be offered through a selection of négociants, including CVBG, Crus & Domaines de France, The Wine Merchant, Veyret Latour, and BVS, with Grands Vins du Monde, the beyond Bordeaux division of Bureau Leveque representing VIK as the courtier.

One of the main objectives of the move is to gain a wider distribution, for the premium Chilean winery, focusing on Asia and Europe, the company said.

VIK CEO Gastón Williams said that selling via La Place de Bordeaux was positioned the company “in the pantheon of the world’s great wines”.

One of the main objectives of the move is to gain a wider distribution, for the premium Chilean winery, focusing on Asia and Europe, the company said.

“Our purpose has always been to make outstanding wines from our exceptional Millahue terroir, wines that can attain the highest sphere of excellence and help position Chile as a producer of world-class wines, and we have achieved that in a very short time,” he said.

“The exceptional qualities of our VIK 2019 will, on the one hand, allow us to make our mark within this very competitive circuit, and on the other, ensure that we keep working as hard as always in terms of quality, thoroughness, and the ongoing pursuit of perfection.”

The launch on La Place coincides with the 10th anniversary of the launch of VIK’s first vintage, which comprised a blend of five varieties, (although the current blend comprises just Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc). The 2019 vintage is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc from the Cachapoal Valley, which has been aged for 20 months in French oak barrels and for 6 months in Barroir barrels. The 2019 was awarded 98 points from James Suckling with the winery’s tasting notes describing it as “very expressive, pure, precise” with an “aromatic nose” and a palate that boasts “elegant structure featuring ripe fruit”.

Chilean expansion on La Place

Vik is the latest high profile Chilean winery to launch wines on La Place. Chilean icon Almaviva (a joint venture between the late Philippine de Rothschild of Château Mouton-Rothschild and Concho y Toro) was the first non-Bordeaux wine to be sold through La Place, with others including Santa Rita’s Casa Real, Clos Apalta, , Maquis, which saw two expressions launched on the French negociant system in July 2022, Viñedo Chadwick and Seña (with its  estate’s second wine, Rocas de Seña 2020) and new entrant Montes, in October 2022.

Please see the February issue of our upcoming feature on La Place hors Bordeaux, 

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