Winemaker Notes
More than 135 years ago, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro was renowned for crafting some of the finest wines in Chile. Reserving for himself an exclusive batch of his best wines, he ignited a rumor that the devil himself was his cellar’s guardian—and in doing so, ensured thieves stayed away from his precious wines. This rumor became a legend that conquered the world, with Casillero del Diablo (“the devil’s cellar”) today recognized as one of the world’s leading wine brands. First released in 1963, Casillero del Diablo is a worldwide standard-bearer for premium quality Chilean wines—and the legend of the Devil’s Cellar lives on at the original Concha y Toro family estate, Chile’s leading tourist destination.
Vineyards for Casillero del Diablo’s celebrated wines hail from Chile’s Central Valley. Located mainly between parallels 30° and 40° south and in close proximity to capital city of Santiago, this internationally known wine region possesses the ideal characteristics for quality grape growing and winemaking. Among the valley's main features are the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, perfectly balanced soils and mountain-water rivers. This ideal terroir allows winemakers to craft an appealing variety of wine styles from many unique and increasingly popular sub-regions.
Part of the Coquimbo region and a key location for pisco production, the Limari Valley is one of the northern most wine producing regions of Chile. The other two, also part of Coquimbo, are the Elqui and less-developed Choapa Valleys. While more vineyard area is dedicated to pisco production (via the grapes of Muscat of Alexandria, Pedro Jimenez, Moscatel de Asturia and Torontel), the acreage under vine for still wine production has increased. The intense sunlight in the Limari Valley, coupled with little rainfall as well as the cooling effect of the Humboldt Current from the Pacifc Ocean, all make the area ideal for cool climate grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot noir.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.