New Chile: Vina Haras de Pirque Interview and Tasting

25th June 2008

Eduardo B. Matte Jr. of Chile’s Vina Haras de Pirque visited Beijing on a whistle-stop tour of China with importer Summergate. Over lunch at Aria restaurant, Matte showed four of his wines and explained the origins of this leading Maipo Valley estate.

Matte Senior, an entrepreneur, had originally purchased land in the Maipo to develop his equestrian business, the property being purchased back in 1991. But vines grown on the estate were yielding such high quality fruit that the Matte family decided that wine might be a way forward (having previously sold 100% of its production to Errazuriz.

The horse-shoe shaped estate now operates both as equestrian centre and state-of-the-art winery (the influence of the Matte family’s Chilean thoroughbreds can be seen in the ‘Equus’ range). Quality has always been high, but as of 2002 Piero Antinori has been involved and is now a joint owner, having been seeking a Chilean partnership.

This has resulted in a flagship wine called ‘Albis’, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, spearheaded by oenologists Renzo Cotarella (of Antinori), Cecilia Guzmán (of Haras de Pirque) and consultant winemaker Alvaro Espinoza. This wine is not imported into China, but a number of wines from the ‘Equus’, ‘Character’ and ‘Elegance’ ranges are (see below tasting notes).

Matte explained that only a proportion of the grapes planted on the estate are grown on the Maipo plain; thus, most plots are at slightly higher elevation on the neighbouring foothills. With slightly cooler temperatures and wine-making designed to retain acidity, these give Haras de Pirque’s wines considerable elegance.

We asked Matte about the green pepper and other herbaceous flavours that tend to mark Chilean reds. He admitted this is a common feature, but it not necessarily to do with under-ripeness. As with eucalyptus levels on Australian reds, the idea is to get ripe enough fruit so that you can blend in the savoury, ‘tomato vine’ aromas with strong fruit and not too much oak. The results are certainly impressive.

2006 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Equus’ Chardonnay, Maipo Valley

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: attractive citrus and some pineapple fruit. Deft moderate oak.

Palate: more citrus and pineapple fruit with a slight stony, mineral quality. Good acidity, with high alcohol, but this is well-balanced.

Conclusion: a very impressive ‘entry-level’ Chardonnay. Matte explained that this wine does not go through malolactic fermentation (hence the preservation of malic acid here) and that the fruit comes from vines at 650-700 m elevation (which also helps retain acidity). Good. Drink now.

Rating: 17/20

2005 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Character’ Chardonnay, Maipo Valley

Appearance: deep gold.

Nose: very savoury first nose, showing more oak than fruit at first, but then some delicate lemon fruit and mineral aromas come to the fore. Improves considerably with aeration.

Palate: subtle fruit, good oak and impressive acidity with balanced high alcohol. Good length.

Conclusion: in some ways this wine is a little young still and is certainly a high-quality Chardonnay with some life ahead of it yet. Drink 2008-2013. Impressive stuff.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Character’ Syrah, Maipo Valley

Appearance: dark purple to black, very slight orange rim.

Nose: very vibrant, concentrated black fruits, some spice (not the black pepper notes of really cool climate Syrah, more cinnamon and white pepper), attractive ‘tomato vine greenness’ offset by non-intrusive oak.

Palate: good fruit, tight ripe medium-high tannins, lifting acidity and well-integrated high alcohol.

Conclusion: this is not a monster of a wine at all – as so many Chilean reds can be – showing varietal character and subtlety. Powerful, but refined, this wine certainly needs a bit more age in bottle. Drink 2008-2012.

Rating: 18/20

2002 Vina Haras de Pirque ‘Elegance’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley

Appearance: very dark purple, orange rim.

Nose: ageing black fruits – largely blackcurrant and blackberry – with some tomato-vine aromas and a savoury oaky nose.

Palate: ripe, chewy and slightly dusty tannins that are mellowing out a little, combined with lovely fruit, good acidity and well-balanced alcohol. Nice length too.

Conclusion: this was very good. Lighter in body than the above Syrah, it had the advantage of some age and development. Drink now to 2010.

Rating: 18.5/20