Errazuriz - Vallée de l'Aconcagua Don Maximianio 2020

This wine is deep and complex, with spices that enhance the nose, along with blackberries, blueberries, ink, blackcurrants, black olives, sweet tobacco leaves, and notes of cocoa powder and wet earth. It is pleasantly chewy, powdery, and full-bodied, with an elegant yet racy mid-palate and a tight structure. 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 9% Carménère, and 4% Petit Verdot. Very long and creamy, with a hint of cedar on the finish. A real pleasure to drink! Best enjoyed starting in 2025.

Continuing the trend observed over the past five years or so, the 2020 Don Maximiano is a refined, medium-bodied red that emphasizes balance and finesse. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 20% Malbec, 9% Carmenère, and 4% Petit Verdot, it is leafy, minty, herbaceous, and refreshing, with notes of blackcurrant and blackberry and very subtle oak integration. 2024–2035

As usual, this Don Maximiano is based on Cabernet Sauvignon (67% of the blend), most of which comes from the Max V vineyard, planted in 1993 on an alluvial terrace near the Aconcagua River, an area with cooler breezes than the interior of the valley. We’ve noticed significant changes in the style of this wine since 2016. The Cabernet base from a cooler area is evident here, especially given that this was a very hot year throughout Chile. The ripe red fruit and smoothness are present, but they aren’t the stars of the show. What deserves all the praise is the tension between the tannins and the acidity, which is the key to this wine’s liveliness and vibrancy. The rest of the blend consists of 20% Malbec, 9% Carménère, and 4% Petit Verdot.