Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Chaski Petit Verdot is sourced from 13-year-old vines planted in an old river bed, on alluvial soils from a stony part of their estate with 55% boulders and 10% to 20% clay that softens the powerful and structured Petit Verdot. In this warm vintage, the Petit Verdot achieved perfect ripening with a peak in temperatures during March (the highest temperatures are usually reached during January). This time it's 100% Petit Verdot; in other vintages it had small percentages of other grapes. The grapes were fermented in a tronconic stainless steel vat after a five day cold soak and completed malolactic fermentation in barrique (60% new), where it matured for 16 months. This does not have the roasted notes and the rustic, slightly harsh character often associated with the grape; this is milder, much more polished and elegant. It might even have some Mediterranean character, faintly balsamic with some notes of aromatic herbs. The palate is medium to full-bodied, intense, yes, but without the rusticity -- albeit with that classical roasted, tarry finish. The grape is like that, and this is a very gentle example, so for fans of the style.
One of the original Bordeaux varieties, Petit Verdot has a bold structure, color and aromas, which allow it to make a significant difference in Bordeaux Blends—even in modest amounts. While it isn’t planted in Bordeaux in great quantities anymore, its virtues are increasingly identified elsewhere. Somm Secret—Producing phenomenal single-varietal wines in hot and dry locations in the New World, Petit Verdot also finds a happy home in parts of Spain as well as in in Portugal’s Alentejo where it gracefully blends with the regions' indigenous varieties.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.