Red Wines	Other Red Wine	Chile	South America

My Rating (circle) :

Date Printed: 12/2/2008

Maquis Lien 2004

(search item no. 87036)
Wine & Spirits rating: 90 points
PRICE ON 12/2/2008: $19.99

Winemaker's Notes:

Number 94 on the Wine.com 100 of 2007!

Vina Maquis Lien is a blend of Syrah, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec grapes, resulting in a disinctive wine that reflects the special plot of land the Hurtado Vicuna family owns in the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

The vineyards and winery are located at the confluence of two historic rivers, the Chimbarongo and the Tinguiririca, which brought down from the Andes sediments that established teh vineyard's alluvial soils, and channel cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean, contributing to the richness and fruitiness of the wines.

Ricardo Rivadeneira Hurtado and his team pride themselves in creating such a generous red wine full of character and a sense of place.

Blend: 50% Syrah, 23% Carmenere, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Malbec

In Chile's native Mapuche language, lien means "silver metal"—a reference to colonial Spanish coins that were once melted to make fine jewelry, like the lizard on the Maquis label.

My Notes:

About Maquis:

The Hurtado family has owned the Vina Maquis vineyard for more than a century, but it wasn't until ten years ago that the family decided to make their own wine out of the terrific grapes in their own backyard. They built a gorgeous, state-of-the-art gravity flow winery and set out to make a "Super Chilean" blend using the vineyard's best red grapes.

Located in Valle de Colchagua, Vina Maquis's terroir is deeply influenced by its geographic position, as it is surrounded by the Tinguiririca River and the Chimbarongo Creek—two large waterways that once brought alluvial sediments from the Andes. Today, they act as pathways for cool coastal breezes that help moderate the warm Colchagua summers, contributing to the intensity and fruitness of the wines.