Vina Maipo Alto Tajamar 2011
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Following the house style, the 2011 Alto Tajamar was quite balsamic and spicy, with ripe fruit but without excess. It's a blend of Syrah with 8% Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo with a little bit of a style from yesteryear (the newer wines showed more restrained oak) showing aromas of Mediterranean herbs, including esparto grass. The wine has been in bottle since late 2013, so it should have polished all those edges a little more. This is destined for fans of ripe and oaky reds.
Viña Maipo was founded in 1948 in the village of Maipo, the heart of Maipo Valley, a world-renowned region for producing wines of outstanding quality. Twenty years later, Chilean leader Concha y Toro, the largest Chilean wine group, acquired the winery, enhancing the quality of its wines and laying the foundations for its global spirit. In 2007, Max Weinlaub joined Viña Maipo as chief winemaker, giving way to a new strategy focused on developing world-class wines, expressive of their origin.
Viña Maipo sources from almost 5,000 acres of owned and grower vineyards, split approximately 60% (2,965 acres) between own vineyards and 40% (1,977 acres) from growers. Growers plant under close supervision by Weinlaub and his team, ensuring quality production across the spectrum; for the top wines, 100% are sourced from estate vineyards. Maipo Valley has a signature elegance and complexity, particularly near the village in upper Maipo, due to fluctuation in day-to-night temperatures between the Andes and the valley floor. The soils offer a combination of volcanic and alluvial influences and support different varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in alluvial areas, while Syrah is well-suited to volcanic conditions.
Maipo Valley accounts for 20% of the winery's total production (including estate and growers), and three wines (made principally from Cabernet and Syrah) are classified as D.O. Maipo. Viña Maipo also makes wines in the Central and Maule Valley, with all of the whites coming from excellent white-wine terroirs in Casablanca, Rapel and Maule. Overall, the winery pursues a sustainable approach with the aim of minimizing environmental impact through responsible practices such as water management and minimal treatments. For winemaker Max Weinlaub, sustainability is a key part of his "craftsmanship philosophy—a belief that every wine must be treated individually with a critical attention to detail.
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 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.