Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve 2022

This structured and 'aristocratic' red wine originates from Chile, within the prestigious Aconcagua Valley A.O. appellation. Produced by Viña Errázuriz an iconic founding estate established in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz and celebrated worldwide as a pioneer of world-class Chilean viticulture "Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve" serves as the winery's flagship flagship icon wine. Sourced from choice, hillside estate vineyard blocks (Max I, Max II, Max V) rooted in deep, well-draining soils of volcanic and colluvial origin with high granite and gravel content, the vines benefit from a ideal Mediterranean microclimate. Warm, sun-drenched days are tempered by cool afternoon breezes blowing directly off the Pacific Ocean and descending off the Andes Mountains, enabling late-ripening Bordeaux varieties to achieve complete phenolic maturity while preserving a razor-sharp natural acidity and noble structural poise.

Wine Description

The 2022 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve presents an opaque, deep black-ruby color in the glass with vivid magenta and purple reflections along the rim. Its sensory profile is exceptionally bold, high-toned, and complex, delivering an expansive, precise, and regal portrait of the Aconcagua Valley's hillside terroir. The bouquet opens with a soaring display of ripe cassis, wild blackberries, and dark cherry compote, seamlessly layered with complex underlays of fresh violets, cigar box, graphite, cedar, dark chocolate, dried herbs, and a distinct line of crushed stone minerality. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, athletic, and linear, showcasing a succulent core of dark berries, blood orange peel, and savory spices. It is characterized by its outstanding inner energy and an incisive, mouthwatering backbone of natural acidity that effortlessly lifts its mid-palate fruit concentration. The mouthfeel is broad, weightless, and silky, framed by firm, fine-grained, and polished tannins that glide into an extraordinarily long, dry, and mineral-driven finish accented by persistent notes of tobacco leaf, cocoa nibs, and toasted cedar.

This high-definition Chilean expression is a classical Bordeaux-style assemblage dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon:

• Cabernet Sauvignon (~65%–70%): Formulates the primary architectural core, contributing dark cassis purity, structural volume, graphite focus, and age-worthy tannic grip.

• Malbec, Cabernet Franc, & Syrah (~30%–35%): Malbec adds lush black fruit density and violet lift, Cabernet Franc supplies herbal perfume and silky tannic refinement, while Syrah imparts subtle savory spice and dark plum flesh.

The hand-harvested fruit underwent rigorous manual sorting followed by temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats with extended skin contact to extract rich color and noble phenolics. To polish its structural frame while imparting sweet oak warmth, the wine completed full malolactic conversion and was matured for 20 to 22 months in select French oak barrels (approximately 65% to 70% new wood) before master blending and bottling. It reaches an effortlessly integrated, food-friendly alcohol content (ABV) of 13.5% to 14.0% and is finished bone-dry.

Vintage Quality

The 2022 growing season in the Aconcagua Valley was characterized by dry, cool-to-moderate temperatures that permitted an extended, slow ripening phase. This allowed Cabernet Sauvignon and its blending partners to achieve perfect seed maturity, balanced sugars, and high natural acidity with immaculate fruit purity. Errázuriz’s hillside vineyards and masterclass in French oak aging crafted a wine of exceptional finesse and structural longevity. The 2022 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve offers immediate, high-energy drinking pleasure upon release and possesses the structural depth to cellar and evolve gracefully over the next 20 to 30 years.