Striking gold: Maquis’ medal-winning wines

Viña Maquis has been in the Hurtado family since 1916, but while this historic South American producer still holds onto its heritage, it isn’t afraid to innovate.

“In 2018, Eric Boissenot came from Bordeaux and visited us at Maquis, and he gave us advice on how to improve the maceration and extraction during fermentation,” explains Ricardo Rivadeneira, Viña Maquis executive director and winemaker. “We have been fine-tuning that with each year.”

Eric Boissenot’s late father, Jacques, had also advised on Maquis’ blending. Rivadeneira says: “The way Eric reads the vintage and aims for a natural balance without changing the alcohol or the acidity of the wine – he likes to disappear behind the fruit.”

Rivadeneira’s work with Boissenot has earned Viña Maquis’ wines a coveted spot on La Place de Bordeaux for both its older and new vintages, and also acclaim in competitions.

Featuring prominently among the Gold medallists from the drinks business’ Global Masters Spring Tasting 2024 (see p114-123) were two of Maquis’ Gran Reserva wines from the 2022 vintage.

“Something I really like about the 2022s, is that we pushed them even further, together with Rodrigo Romero, our chief winemaker. We finished pumping over the must earlier than we had ever done before, and that has resulted in very elegant tannins,” says Rivadeneira.

“The wines are very aromatic because we’re closing the fermentation tanks,” he adds, “so we’re keeping a lot of those primary aromas in the wine. 2022 was also a cooler vintage, which has resulted in more aromatic wines.”

Another Gold medallist from the same blind tasting competition was Maquis’ Carmenere-forward 2019 Viola.

Describing the growing season of that year, Rivadeneira says: “In terms of temperature, 2019 was a little bit warmer than average – which helped the Carmenere to lose its green, herbal character, caused by the pyrazines in the grapes, early. I particularly like the 2019 vintage of Viola because it is very expressive and floral.”

However, warmer vintages for Colchagua Valley are still a fair bit fresher than those of other great wine regions of the world, including Boissenot’s home town of Bordeaux. “The maximum daily temperature in January, the hottest month, is probably around 31.5°C on average, which is about 3°C less than the average for a ‘warm vintage’ in Bordeaux. It makes a big difference to the final wine,” points out Rivadeneira.

These cooler temperatures have helped to preserve the freshness of Viña Maquis’ wines, as the following tasting notes by Patricia Stefanowicz MW from the Global Masters Spring Tasting 2024 reveal.

MAQUIS GRAN RESERVA CABERNET FRANC

Producer: Viña Maquis

Region: Colchagua

Country: Chile

Grape varieties: 86% Cabernet Franc, 6% Carmenere, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot

ABV: 14%

Vintage: 2022

Approximate retail price: £18

Medal: Gold With ungrafted vines in vineyards located between two rivers, Maquis has a perfect location to benefit from cool breezes coming from the water. This excellent-value Cabernet Franc has a deep ruby-black colour with summer pudding red and black fruits and cedarwood accents. Vibrant fruit and peppery spice on the full, rich palate are framed by lively acidity and linen-textured tannins. Ripe and lingering, this is a delicious, well-balanced wine.

MAQUIS GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Producer: Viña Maquis

Region: Colchagua

Country: Chile

Grape varieties: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Carmenere, 3% Petit Verdot

ABV: 14%

Vintage: 2022

Approximate retail price: £18 Medal: Gold Grown on 2.5m-deep alluvial clay topsoils with excellent water-holding capacity thanks to underlying gravels from ancient Andean deposits, these grapes produce superb wines. This lovely example displays a deep ruby core with a hint of garnet on the rim, ripe cassis, red plums and red berries, with vanilla oak and a touch of coconut. Dry, the mediumbodied palate shows good flavour definition, brisk acidity, grippy tannins and a long, savoury finish.

MAQUIS VIOLA

Producer: Viña Maquis

Region: Colchagua

Country: Chile

Grape varieties: 85% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14%

Vintage: 2019

Approximate retail price: £93

Medal: Gold Well-recognised as one of Chile’s finest Carmenereled wines, this expression is fantastic. Boasting a deep ruby core with a cherryhued rim, the wine shows concentrated dark plum and raspberry, overlain with vanilla pod and allspice nuances and a violet floral lift. Dry and sweet-fruited, the palate has well-defined flavours underpinned by crisp acidity and satin-textured tannins. Rich, creamy and complex with layers of flavours and a lingering finish.