Vina Haras de Pirque, 'Albis', Maipo Valley, Chile, 2016

Overview of the Wine
 Haras de Pirque is located in the easternmost part of the Maipo Valley, in the foothills of the Andes, in an area that enjoys extremely favorable climatic and geographic conditions. The territory is strongly influenced by the mountainous climate and by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean; summers are hot and dry and are balanced by cool, humid ocean breezes and colder nights. Beneficial temperature swings and the resulting extended growing season ensure a slow, ideal ripening phase and optimal development of the fruit’s aromatic compounds. 

Marchesi Antinori’s strong entrepreneurial spirit and passion for innovation led to their presence in Chile. Haras de Pirque estate was born with the quest to produce high quality organic wines and explore Chile’s vast winemaking potential while focusing on expressing the Maipo Valley’s extraordinary terroir.

Organic

Winemaker
Marchesi Antinori

Grape / Blend
81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Carménère

Origin
Maipo Valley, Chile

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Albis expresses on the nose the typical aromas of the Mapo Andes Valley with its pleasurable notes of spice and graphite. The palate is supple and elegant with excellent length and persistence and a long and continous finish and aftertaste. It is a wine capable of giving its best in the years to come as well. 

96 Points - Descorchados 
Albis is the most ambitious cuvée in the Haras de Pirque catalog, with a base of 81% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is carménère, all from vineyards planted in 1992 in Pirque, 700 meters above sea level in one of Maipo’s highest zones. The first vintage of Albis was the 2001, and this may be the most radical shift in style yet. Haras winemaker Cecilia Guzmán believes it’s all about reducing the ripeness and extraction. And that translates into a wine with intense mineral notes and tones of ash and pencil lead. There’s tense acidity and very firm, vertical, austere tannins that take their job of instilling structure in this wine seriously, allowing it to spend a decade in the bottle. 

92 Points - James Suckling
This has good depth, the tannins and ripe flavors building nicely on the palate with a ton of fresh-blackberry and floral character. Good length for a 2016. A blend of 81 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 19 per cent carmenere.

91 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Tightly focused aromas of berry fruits, leather, wild herbs and oak lead to a full-bodied palate that draws inward. Well-applied toasty oak results in flavors of chocolate, baking spices and black fruits. On the finish, this Cabernet-heavy blend is warming and lightly herbal. Drink through 2023. Michael Schachner 

Product size: 750ml