A couple of weeks ago we published a review of the top-rated Argentine wines on the site to date, to illustrate how rapidly some winemakers there are improving. This time we look at Chile, and the analysis makes for just as, if not even more impressive reading.
Chile has been struggling, like Argentina, with its role as a key supplier of cheap, mass-produced wines that clearly drive overall quality down. But at the top end of the market winemakers have embraced innovation to create some of the best wines in the country’s history. Some can now be included among the best in the world, with balanced and structured cabernet sauvignons to subtle yet flavorful syrahs and pinot noirs coming through.
Of the 4,600+ wine on the JamesSuckling.com site from Chilean producers, more than 3,600 (or 78 percent) are rated 90 points or above. Nearly 300 are rated 95 points or above, and 47 are rated an exceptional 98 points or above.
Things get even better, especially when compared to their bigger neighbor to the east, when we look at super-high-quality wines. Chile has 25 wines rated 99 or 100 on JamesSuckling.com, and nine wines rated a perfect 100 points. Compare that to Argentina, with 19 wines rated 99 or 100 and four 100-point wines.
And much of this excellent work has been very recent. Of those wines rated 98 or above, only one, the Viñedo Chadwick Cabernet Sauvignon Valle de Maipo 2001, is older than the 2011 vintage. And every vintage from 2011 up to and including 2018 is represented at least once. Most clearly of all, the more recent the vintage, the more likely it is to contain exceptional wines:
2018 – 2x 98+ wines (so far)
2017 – 12x 98+ wines
2016 – 9x 98+ wines
2015 – 10x 98+ wines
2014 – 7x 98+ wines
2013 – 2x 98+ wines
2012 – 3x 98+ wines
2011 – 1x 98+ wine
If you’ve followed me over the years you will know that I’ve long been telling people to take Chile’s winemaking credentials seriously. Especially in Asia, this has had an impact. JamesSuckling.com is the most recognised wine media in Mainland China and our ratings have been a catalyst for the growing interest in fine Chilean wines. Chile accounts for almost one in four bottles imported to China. The People’s Republic of China is now Chile’s No. 1 export market for wine – bigger than the United States or the United Kingdom.
And it’s not without merit. Winemakers in Chile are knowledgeable and willing to try new, exciting things with different, non-traditional varietals and new philosophies. The Almaviva Puente Alto 2015 was our best wine of the year in 2017, and the 2017 Almaviva also scored 100 points last year. Producers like this, as well as Viñedo Chadwick, Clos Apalta and Seña, all of whom also have 100-point wines, show what’s possible with dedication to excellence. You can be sure there will be other names making perfect wines in future years too.
Below is a list of the very best wines I have rated over the years from Chile.
– James Suckling, CEO/Editor
To taste some of the best wines from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, check out our Great Wines of the Andes events.
Next up is the USA, touring San Francisco, Chicago, New York City and Miami from September 29-October 4.
Click here for info.
