La Cumbre represents Viña Errázuriz’s pioneering spirit when it introduced the Syrah variety to Chile in 1993. Aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, 60% new and 15% Stockinger foudres, it is 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier
"Our best Syrah in terms of varietal personality" is how Francisco Baettig describes this Syrah and I agree with him. Meaty and herbal, with notes of garrigue spices and black olive, fine tannins and some added perfume and complexity from 4% Viognier." Tim Atkin MW – 94 points
"The 2019 La Cumbre was produced with 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, co-fermenting the two grapes in the style of Côte-Rôtie. It has varietal notes of meat, blackcurrant and a smoky touch, also floral. 2019 was only moderately warm, and the wine achieved 14% alcohol. They used larger foudres for the élevage, which I think is a good thing for the variety. It's juicy and fresh and nicely textured." Wine Advocate – 93+points
“The 2019 vintage of La Cumbre is deep and intense purple in colour with ruby highlights. The nose offers aromas of lavender, pink pepper, blueberries, maqui, and blackberries framed by cloves and nutty notes that recall marzipan with delicate touches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Notes of blueberry pie, black cherries and dark chocolate appear on the palate. This is a lush and very juicy, long and mouth-filling wine with tremendous breadth, balance and persistence.” Francisco Baettig, Technical Director
The grapes for La Cumbre were selected from the best lots of their MAX I and MAX V vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley, 60 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. The region’s Mediterranean climate presents an extended dry season cooled by gentle afternoon breezes that enter the valley from the Pacific Ocean.
Harvest notes
The season was slightly warm, with very low precipitation and ended rather cold, which favoured the correct development of the vines and tremendous balance in the ripening of very healthy grapes. The result is wines with excellent concentration and complexity.
The season began with 55% less water accumulated in the soils, with a total of just 71 millimetres, compared to the historic 156 millimetres for this period. The spring began with high temperatures, and bud break started on September 17th for Carmenere, seven days earlier than the historic date.
Flowering occurred slightly early, given the high heat summation in November. These conditions also permitted excellent fruit set in Carmenere, resulting in higher yields. The month of January, however, was quite unusual, with a heat summation that was 7.9% lower than average, delaying veraison by 7 days for Cabernet Sauvignon and 14 days for Carmenere. Temperatures picked up in February with a heat summation that was 6.2% higher than the historic average, and finally, March was 6.6% colder. The harvest took place 10 days earlier in Cabernet Sauvignon, due to yields that were 15% lower than expected, while Carmenere was harvested on its historic date, April 30th, with 38% more fruit than anticipated.
Our MAX vineyards benefitted from the age of the vines and a precision irrigation system, which allowed us to withstand a particularly dry year. Fortunately, the heatwave that affected Chile’s Central Valley was not as harsh in the Aconcagua Valley, which favoured the fruit, delivered smooth and ripe tannins, enabling us to produce complex and elegant wines that are well defined in their varietal profile.
