Echeverria Gran Reserva Syrah 2014
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2013-
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Active in Chilean agriculture, grape growing and winemaking since 1740, the Echeverria family established their current vineyards and winery in 1923 in the outskirts of Molina, a town in the Curicó Valley. Here, they grow grapes from French pre-philloxera rootstocks, on their 80 ha of vineyards.
Originally established to produce bulk wines, in 1990, the winery was converted to produce quality wines for export. In the following years, Echeverria was one of the few boutique wineries to emerge from Chile, and the first family winery from Chile to sell wine to Harrods in London.
Eventually, the family started purchasing grapes, to compliment and build complexity to their wines. "We realized that to succeed and be different, we needed to be open," says Roberto Echeverria, the Technical Director Chief Winemaker, whose first solo vintage appeared on the market in 2001. With sustainable practices in the vineyard, Echevarria produces a wine for most every palate, while embracing a philosophy that's based on consistency.
Wines under the Echeverria label are vinified conventionally while the ‘No es Pituko’ range is vinified naturally.
'No es Pituko'; is Chilean slang for 'it ain't fancy'; reflecting the fact that this wine was vinified naturally, without any additions at any stage. The Chardonnay grapes for this wine come from a single vineyard in the Entre Cordilleras area of the Curicó Valley, situated at 243 metres above sea-level. These are ungrafted 37 year old vines that are cultivated according to sustainable agricultural methods in order to respect the land and its environment.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The Aconcagua River runs east from the charming costal town of Valparaiso and bisects the land creating the valley after which it was named. While alluvial soils predominate the Aconcagua Valey along its river throughout, its east-west flow creates drastically different conditions on each of its ends. Its western, seaside vineyards, with clay and stony soils upon gently rolling hills, produce cool-climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Its inner region is one of Chile’s hottest and produces some of its best red wines. Panquehue in the inner Aconcagua is the site of Chile’s first Syrah vines, planted in 1993.