2018 El Principal Memorias Magnum

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Description

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ViƱa EL Principal belongs to the absolute top of South America - Chile and that is not surprising because the house was founded in 1993 by partners Jorge Fontaine Aldunate, owner of the El Principal estate, and Jean Paul Valette, French winemaker and former owner of the famous Premier Grand Cru ClassĆ© ChĆ¢teau Pavie in Saint-Ɖmilion. Today the owner is the Said Sandal Family and the winery is one of the most exclusive and premium of Chile with only 4 wines, but a range of wines of the highest quality that reflects the spirit and typicity of Chilean terroir. The hand, tradition and experience of the Valette family of ChĆ¢teau Pavie is reflected in every element and the style (and choice of grape variety) has an inseparable Bordelaises St Emillion twist but anyway that is not surprising given the background.

El Principal’s terroir, located at the foot of the Andes in the Alto Maipo Valley (DO Maipo Andes), was perfect for their project; its unique combination of climate, soil type and altitude made it ideal for producing wines with character, unique identity and extraordinary quality.

Memorias was founded in 1999 as a tribute to the four centuries that have passed since the Picunches, the original people who lived on the land where our vineyards now stand, received the Spanish conquistadors, creating a completely new culture. The symbol of Memorias is the spiral of life, which represents the circle of life, understood as the permanent movement generated by experiences. This symbol is found in all ancient civilizations and represents evolution and continuous development.

Memorias is a perfectly balanced, well-structured blend that increases in complexity each year in the bottle. Carefully crafted to preserve the freshness and intensity of the fruit, this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend includes varying percentages of other French varieties: Petit Verdot to enhance acidity and freshness; Syrah for its spicy notes; CarmenĆØre for its intense color, red fruit and round tannins; and Cabernet Franc for its intense flavors and aromas. The resulting wine is fresh, with delicate layers of soft tannins – a blend that faithfully reflects the unique terroir of Alto Maipo.

The vineyard is located 780 m above sea level. A bit comparable to Nappa Valley for example. The cold ocean has a very big influence on the vineyards. The winds, the fog, humid air, the protection of the Andes mountains, the altitude ensure large differences between day and night and this also ensures the extremely high quality of the fruit that can grow almost without intervention on the sandy loamy soils of alluvial origin. The 2018 Memorias is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot which has aged for 22 months in new French oak and then gets at least another 18 months of bottle maturation before it comes on the market. This great wine has a fantastic aging potential so definitely decant in its young years. This version is a magnum of 1.5 liters. Even tastier, more festive and with a longer drinking window.

FACT: In the Tab: Attachment you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send it to you when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will also receive a nice discount. We are located almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for address.

Specifications

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Type of Wine Red
Country Chile
Region Maipo Valley
Winery ViƱa EL Principal
Grape Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah-Shiraz
Biological certified No
Natural wine No
Vegan No
Vintage 2018
Drinking as of 2022
Drinking till 2032
Alcohol % 14
Alcohol free/low No
Content 1.5 ltr
Oak aging Yes
Sparkling No
Dessert wine No
Closure Cork
Parker rating 90
James Suckling rating 92
Vinous rating 94
Tasting Profiles Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Rood fruit, Tannines, Vol
Drink moments Indruk maken, Open haard

Professional Reviews

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Parker

90

James Suckling

92

Vinous

94

Wijnhuis

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ViƱa EL Principal belongs to the absolute top from South America - Chile and that is not surprising because the house was founded in 1993 by partners Jorge Fontaine Aldunate, owner of the El Principal estate, and Jean Paul Valette, French winemaker and former owner of the famous Premier Grand Cru ClassĆ© ChĆ¢teau Pavie in Saint-Ɖmilion. Today, the owner is the Said Sandal Family and the winery is of Chile's most exclusive and premium with only 4 wines, but a range of the highest quality wines that reflect the spirit and typicity of Chilean terroir. The hand, tradition and experience of the Valette family of ChĆ¢teau Pavie is reflected in every element and the style (and choice of grape variety) has an inextricable Bordelaises St Emillion twist but in the end that is not surprising given the background. The terroir of El Principal, located at the foot of the Andes mountain range in the Andean part of the Maipo Valley (DO Maipo Andes) was the perfect place for their project.

There are many factors that contribute to the uniqueness of ViƱa El Principal wines, but arguably one of the most important is the exceptional terroir. Today the estate is located in the Valle de Alto Maipo (Maipo Andes) on the slopes of
The oenology of ViƱa El Principal has been developed from the vineyard. These wines are produced with grapes grown exclusively on site where the vineyards are continuously studied and analyzed with regard to plant physiology and their relationship to the terroir in order to identify and perfect the best blocks and in this way the highest quality raw materials. All harvests are done manually, with controlled productions and careful selection of clusters, both in the field and in the warehouse. Later, we undergo a careful process of traditional Bordeaux fermentation and aging in oak barrels, resulting in a unique wine that reflects the elegance and identity of the terroir.

The wines are made exclusively with grapes grown in our own vineyards where we have full control over production, harvesting the grapes by hand and selecting them first in the vineyard and then again in the winery. The wines are carefully crafted using traditional techniques and aged in French oak. This results in wines with unique characteristics that reflect the elegance and identity of El Principal's terroir.

The wine company's name is named after Chief Picunche Andetelmo, "El Principal", the lord of the lands that make up the terroir, in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the Maipo Andes Valley. His visionary and peaceful nature earned him the respect of the Spanish conquerors, initiating a history of openness and exchange that continues to this day. The spirit of Andetelmo lives on in the wines, which express all the nobility and quality of a unique terroir.

The winemaker of Viña EL Principal is Marco Puyo. Marco is a household name in international viticulture. He is an agricultural engineer and winemaker, a graduate of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, has worked in major Chilean wineries for 29 years, giving him a detailed knowledge of the different "terroirs" of Chile. At the international level, he harvested grapes in Bordeaux, Champagne and Burgundy in France, Napa in the United States and the Uco Valley in Argentina. Since December 2020 he is Executive Consultant and Winemaker of Viña El Principal.

Attachments

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