2023 Bodegas Volcanes Tectonia Chardonnay

With 2,900 volcanoes, Chile boasts an enormous variety of volcanic soils spread throughout the country. Bodega Volcanes was founded in 2009 to honor this unique aspect of Chilean terroir. A Terroir Manager and Viticulturist were appointed to find the best vineyards for wines with tension and depth. Since 2018, they have been employing a talented geologist specializing in the influence of volcanic soil on wine style. Winemaker María del Pilar Díaz has been involved in the project from the very beginning and is now an established name in the Chilean wine world.

The Volcanes Tectonia Chardonnay comes from a vineyard in the Malleco Valley. The soil of this valley was formed during (relatively recent) volcanic eruptions and therefore consists of flowed lava and, above all, volcanic ash. The Volcanes Tectonia has aged for 11 months in barrels of 10% new, 40% 1-year-old, and 50% 2-year-old French oak.

The Volcanes Tectonia Chardonnay is one of the finest Chilean Chardonnays and it is not without reason that it received 91/100 points from James Suckling. This wine has a delicate style, partly due to the soils formed during the eruption of two nearby volcanoes. The color is golden-yellow, the nose is moderately intense and features notes of white peach, pear, quince, and subtle hints of coconut and minerals. The taste is harmonious, with a fresh start, a beautiful structure, and a fine balance between acidity and ripe notes. Is it New World, is it Old World – you decide. Elegance in a glass, that is how we see it. 8,640 bottles of this fine Chardonnay were filled.

Bodega Volcanos

Bodega Volcanes is a project that was started in 2009 and is part of the Grupo Vinos del Pacifico (GVP). A number of employees of this group came up with the idea to produce a series of wines that had to come from vineyards with 100% soils of volcanic origin.

The five-member team included winemaker María del Pilar Díaz, geologist Gonzalo Hendriguez, and terroir manager Agustín Aguerrea. They selected three vineyards spread throughout Chile that they believe convey the ultimate expression of volcanic soil to the wines. In Rapel Valley, this is a vineyard with soil composed of silt, clay, and loam, supplemented with coarser material such as stones of Andesite (an extrusive rock). In Maule Valley, they found a vineyard with soil of (weathered) granite. In Malleco Valley, the vineyard is planted on soil of so-called “Tolhuaco,” which consists of volcanic ash. María Díaz strives to allow the purity and minerality of the soils to be expressed in the wines. This is very successful, certainly because (new) wood is never used excessively during fermentation and aging. The wines are all lively and rich and have more complexity in aroma and taste than comparable wines from the same region.