San Esteban in Situ Reserva carménère

A Carmenère from Chile that has already won a multitude of medals. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, this results in a rounded wine with beautiful ripe, smooth tannins. Aromas include fruit, spices, smoky and forest notes. A spicy wine with a long and smooth finish. An ideal wine for festive occasions, especially with a piece of game meat.
Personal favorite of Luc Vervaecke, your sommelier.
3.9/5 Vivino

Serving suggestion:

We recommend serving this wine with pork in mustard sauce or a stew of pork cheeks. A rather soft meat dish. Serve this wine between 15-17°C. It can easily be cellared for at least 5 more years.

Awards:

• Silver Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2015 (2013 vintage)
• Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2014 (2012 vintage)
• Silver Medal at International Wine Challenge 2013 London (2012 vintage)
• Rated 87 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (2012 vintage)
• Silver Medal at Catad’Or W 2012 (2011 vintage)
• Gold Medal at Berliner Wein Trophy 2010 (2009 vintage)
• Silver Medal at Concours International de Bruxelles Chile 2010 (2009 vintage)
• Gold Medal at Berliner Wein Trophy 2009 (2008 vintage)
• Gold Medal & Trophy for Best Carmenère at IWC London (2005 vintage)
• Silver Medal at Challenge International du Vin Bordeaux 2007 (2005 vintage)
• Gold Medal at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2006 (2004 vintage)

Additional information:
Viña San Esteban was founded by José Vincent and his son Horacio, who learned the trade in Bordeaux, where he worked at Château Mouton Rothschild and Mouton Cadet.

In Situ Reserva Chardonnay is produced from grapes grown on the sandy, well-drained riverbanks of the Aconcagua River. These soils offer low fertility and are located at 800 meters altitude, allowing a slow and gradual ripening. The cool glacier water from the river ensures sufficient temperature drops during the hot summer months, providing elegance and complexity to this Chardonnay from the Aconcagua Valley.

Viña San Esteban, founded in 1974 by José Vicente, is considered a pioneer in hillside vineyard cultivation. His son Horacio, trained in Bordeaux and with experience at Château Mouton Rothschild and Mouton Cadet, significantly improved quality. Today, they manage 120 hectares of vineyards along the Aconcagua River and across the foothills of the Andes Mountains.
In Situ Reserva is a limited production wine from the best vines located on the Paidahuen hill of the San Esteban vineyard. This unique terroir – a combination of soil, climate, and grape – gives each wine its own identity. For hundreds of years, the slopes of this 1,150-meter-high hill were a gathering place for indigenous people from the Aconcagua Valley. Today, ancient rock paintings on the archaeological site at the top of the hill still bear witness to that past.
Hence the name In Situ, and the symbolic elements shown on the bottle.

Vinification: The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented at 28°C in stainless steel tanks. The wine undergoes an 18-day maceration to develop fullness and structure. This is followed by aging for 12 months in 225-liter French (50%) and American (50%) oak barrels to round out the tannin texture. After bottling, the wine is aged for another 3 months in bottle.

Technical sheet