Purity, freshness and finesse will be remembered as the cornerstone characteristics of Chile’s 2021 vintage, but no wine encapsulates these qualities better in a single package than our Chilean Wine of the Year for 2023, the Seña Valle de Aconcagua 2021.
Comprised of 50 percent cabernet sauvignon, 27 percent malbec, 17 percent carmenere and 6 percent petit verdot, the wine captures the essence of the 2021 vintage with remarkable clarity. It’s from a biodynamically farmed vineyard, situated on the cool hillside of the Coastal Mountains in the mid-section of the Aconcagua Valley, about 40 kilometers from the Pacific coast.
Francisco Baettig, the former winemaker of Seña and Viñedo Chadwick, described 2021 as an exceptionally elegant, balanced year – “a true Seña vintage” that was moderately cool with a slightly warmer spring but no heat spikes during the slow, gentle growing season, resulting in a delayed and prolonged harvest. As a result, this immaculate Seña exhibits a more perfumed expressions of pure red fruit and floral notes, accompanied by heightened acidity and lower alcohol content. The epitome of finesse and complexity, it earned the distinction of being the only Chilean wine to receive a perfect score of 100 points this year.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: Seña owner Eduardo Chadwick (below) explains the concept behind his unique project.
Baettig, who was instrumental in producing several high-scoring wines on this list, recently retired from Chadwick Family wineries after 20 years as the technical director. While he continues to serve as a consultant for the company, his retirement has afforded him the opportunity to fully dedicate his winemaking expertise to his own venture, Vinos Baettig in Traiguen, with his business partner Carlos de Carlos. The winemaking responsibilities for Seña and Viñedo Chadwick have been passed on to Emily Faulconer, who previously worked at Viña Carmen in Santiago.
The Baettig Chardonnay Traiguén Selección de Parcelas Los Primos 2021 represents a new pinnacle for Baettig’s chardonnays. Our No. 5 Chilean wine, it is one of the most impressive and gastronomic whites we have ever encountered from Chile.
When considering Chilean chardonnays by price, volume of production and availability, it trails only the No. 2 Errázuriz Chardonnay Aconcagua Costa Las Pizarras 2021, which showcases a similar mineral profile but comes in a more linear and electric mode characterized by demanding acidity and precision. Errazuriz is also owned by Chadwick Family Wineries.
The inclusion of 12 whites on this list, eight of which are chardonnays (along with one orange wine), underlines the rising quality of chardonnays produced in both the northern and southern regions of Chile. Concha y Toro, Chile’s largest winery by production volume, secured the eighth spot with its Concha y Toro Chardonnay Valle de Limarí Quebrada Seca Vineyard Amelia 2021, which comes from one of the finest sources of chardonnay in the north – the limestone-rich Quebrada Seca zone.
Concha y Toro winemaker Marcelo Papa described 2021 as more “Bordeaux-like” compared with the more opulent and warmer 2020, but the difference between the two vintages appeared less pronounced in chardonnays from Quebrada Seca like the Amelia.
The blissful kiss of vintage was more obvious for Concha y Toro’s iconic red, Don Melchor. The Viña Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto 2021 earned the No. 3 spot on our list, showing its unique identity with deep, ashy blackberries and a touch of violet. The fruit is ripe and concentrated yet remarkably fresh, lending vibrant energy to its depth. According to Don Melchor’s chief winemaker and estate manager, Enrique Tirado, 2021 was the coolest vintage since 2014 in Puente Alto, giving a healthy combination of freshness and density to this cabernet sauvignon-based red that also has small measures of cabernet franc and merlot.
Following the successful revival of carmenere in Chile’s Central Valley, other Mediterranean varietals such as carignan and cinsault, as well as the historic grape país, have seen comebacks as producers have put renewed emphasis on Mediterranean freshness and drinkability. This is especially evident in the southern Maule, Itata, and Malleco regions, where some of the lightest and most drinkable wines are now being crafted.
This is especially evident in the southern Maule, Itata, and Malleco regions, where some of the lightest and most drinkable wines are now being crafted, as best expressed by our No. 7 wine, the Garage Wine Co. Cariñena Empedrado Truquilemu Vineyard Field Blend 2019, and our No. 10 wine, the Pedro Parra y Familia Valle de Itata Miles 2021.
The biodynamically farmed Emiliana Valle de Colchagua Los Robles Estate Gê 2020 (No. 6) represents a milestone of sorts, with winemaker Noelia Orts making the decision in the face of the hot and dry growing season of that year to exclude cabernet sauvignon from the blend and use garnacha instead. The proportion of 50 percent syrah, 42 percent carmenere, 7 percent malbec and 1 percent garnacha was the perfect response to the climatic conditions, imparting a more pronounced touch of Mediterranean vibrancy to the wine.
From Colchagua, the Montes Carmenere Petit Verdot Valle de Colchagua Purple Angel 2020 once again claimed a top spot on this list, coming in at No. 9 this year. This opulent blend, predominantly carmenere from Marchigue and Apalta, shows consistency of quality alongside an indulgent, plush style. It is a big, concentrated red that delivers complexity, richness, length and lots of pleasure but remains very balanced.
Our No. 4 wine also comes from Apalta. Made by the team of Clos Apalta and Lapostolle, the Clos du Lican Apalta 2020, a pure syrah, derives from a protected hillside vineyard with a southeastern exposure, nestled amid a small forest and boasting granitic soils rich in clay. The efforts of winemaker Andrea Leon, who identifies herself as a “Rhone-esque person,” and her team have paid off in this challenging vintage, yielding a more intuitive syrah that exudes heightened freshness compared with the 2019 vintage.
Chile’s wine industry remains highly consolidated, with major producers exerting significant influence in terms of volume, quality and export market availability. And they are well-represented on this list, but so too are smaller players from Chile’s Independent Winemaking Movement (MOVI). We hope this ensures a diverse array of the country’s finest wines from every corner of its territory for you to enjoy.
– Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor
Note: The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated in 2023 by the tasters at JamesSuckling.com. You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.
