Villard expression gran vin le syrah

This is a powerful Syrah from Casablanca that never disappoints. The nose reveals massive floral dark cherry, blueberry, steel dust, blackberry, hints of dried meat, smooth chrome metal parts, dark tea spices, and subtle dark oak. Full-bodied, fresh, smooth, steely acids with a spicy note, ripe dark firm yet soft mineral tannins. Lushly juicy, intense with all of the above and added blueberry, sweet cherry, grey minerals, paprika powder, and lavender. Long, persistent finish—in short, brilliantly complex.
 4.3/5 Vivino

Serving:
The older this gets, the softer it becomes—just like aged meat on the BBQ.
Serve around 16–17°C.

Storage:
Can be stored for several years and will continue to evolve.

Additional Information:

 The Casablanca Valley is one of the most prestigious regions for cool-climate grape growing. It is located 70 km west of Santiago, less than 25 km from the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the cold Humboldt Current that runs along the Chilean coast, morning fog and low temperatures help the grapes retain their fruity freshness and high acidity.

In 1989, Thierry Villard founded Chile’s first boutique winery in this valley. For over three decades, Villard has been recognized as one of the top wineries in Casablanca. And for more than ten years, the second generation of the family has been innovating with new winemaking techniques to create new, super-premium wines of great structure and elegance—rooted in a deep understanding of the region and its terroir.

By Jean-Charles Villard.

My father, Thierry Villard, was born in France but spent most of his youth in Switzerland and England. At nineteen, he left home to explore the world, and by twenty, he was in Australia. A year later, he decided to head to South America. After a sea voyage, he landed in Panama and traveled overland to Chile. There, he met my mother. After seven months of dating, they married and later renewed their vows in Paris, where they began a new adventure together in 1972.

They bought a Volkswagen Beetle and drove it to Kabul, Afghanistan. They had to sell it there due to border closures between Pakistan and India caused by war. They continued their journey through Asia to Singapore by public transport and then flew to Perth, Australia. They crossed the country to Melbourne, Victoria, where they met my mother’s brother—a prominent winemaker who had emigrated to Australia a year earlier on my father's advice.

Soon after, in 1973, Thierry began working at Orlando Wines in Melbourne, one of the country’s largest wineries, where he developed a new import division for wine and spirits. He gained extensive sales experience in hospitality, hotels, major clients, and wholesale. He later became sales manager at Morris Wines, a subsidiary of the group, before returning to Orlando Wines a year later.

In 1980, he moved to the head office in Adelaide to work as product manager in the marketing department. He oversaw the import division, premium wines, and the Morris Wines boutique winery. A year later, in 1981, the role of export marketing manager was added. This marked the start of the export division and the first commercial contacts with international clients.

By 1984, he shifted his focus entirely to export, leaving domestic responsibilities behind. As export manager, he built a network of importers, agents, and distributors in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

He was responsible for launching Australia’s iconic brand Jacob's Creek in the UK through its first international media campaign.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the family vacationed frequently in Chile. During these visits, Thierry reconnected with friends and industry contacts and became convinced that he needed to start his own winery. By 1989, it was clear that Chile’s economy was strengthening, and Chilean wine would soon be a major discovery on the European market.

So, at the end of 1988, he quit his job, left behind the life he had built in Australia, and embarked on a new adventure in Chile with his wife and two children born there.

He began working as an export consultant for several wineries, including CyT and Emiliana. These wineries valued his experience and leadership in opening new markets, creating world-class brands, and boosting Chile’s image as a fine wine producer.

That same year, he also founded Villard Fine Wines, dedicated exclusively to the production of premium wines.

At the same time, he became the representative for the French cooperage Nadalie, collaborating to produce and distribute barrels in Chile and Latin America. This allowed us to select the ideal types of oak for our own barrels, matching them perfectly to each of our wines. The cooperage is now a major player in Chile's wine industry and is managed by my older brother, Sebastien.

For Thierry, producing premium white wines—and also Pinot Noir, a grape virtually nonexistent in the country at the time—was essential. The Casablanca Valley has all the right climatic conditions to grow these grapes. In the early 1990s, the Casablanca Valley was unknown, and only a few producers and wineries saw its potential. It was tempting to be almost a pioneer in a region that was unexplored for viticulture.

As you can imagine, I grew up in an environment completely steeped in wine culture.

I studied three years of agricultural sciences in Chile, followed by two years of viticulture and oenology in Bordeaux, France.

In 2000, at age 22, I harvested my first grape on another continent—at McWilliams winery in Hunter Valley, Australia.
In 2001: South Africa, Villiera Estate.
2002: Bordeaux, France, at Vignobles Despagne.
2003: again at Vignobles Despagne, for the Girolate project.
2004: Château Palmer, Bordeaux.
In 2005: I began working with my family at Villard.
2005: Emilia Romagna, Italy, at La Stoppa winery.
2007: Beaujolais, with Christophe Pacalet and Marcel Lapierre.
2009: Burgundy, at Château de la Tour in Clos Vougeot.

I currently work alongside Anamaria Pacheco, who has been our winemaker since 1997. Villard wines are our joint creations. Thierry is the mastermind behind the final blends and our main consultant, making us a fantastic team. Together we handle international sales, while I oversee the domestic market. My mother supervises the administration and log