Recently, Drinks Trade attended an intimate vertical tasting of Viñedo Chadwick — the Chilean cabernet sauvignon that changed the game for the nation’s wine industry after bettering various first-growth Bordeaux in The Berlin Tasting of 2004.
While the quality of the ultra-premium $800 per-bottle wine speaks for itself, the timing of its latest push into Australia, performed in partnership with Langtons Fine Wines, is noteworthy given the current industry pressures – namely the cost of living headwinds and the emerging drink-local trend.
As Viñedo Chadwick’s Regional Director APAC Julien Pourtier puts it, “the fine wine industry is going through a difficult time … We believe, in a difficult time, that’s probably when you need to work harder.”
Although the wines have been available domestically for a couple of years, Langtons is now looking to increase brand awareness both directly through its own channels and indirectly through Australia’s on-premise trade. According to Langtons head buyer, this focus is part of a push to innovate amid building economic pressures, formed in response to growing market demand for ultra-premium fine wine alternatives to the longstanding kingpins of the sector, including first growth Bordeauxs and even Grange.
Ramon Gunesekara tells Drinks Trade, “wine struggles with innovation, and one of the ways that we can help to innovate is by bringing new products into the market. We also have a responsibility to take our customers on a discovery journey, and from a Langtons perspective, we really specialise in luxury and ultra fine wines from all over the world.”
As it stands, 45 per cent of all wine sold at Langtons is non-Australian — the majority of which comes from France, and, more specifically, from Bordeaux. Reflecting on this, Gunesekara, whose official job title is National Merchandise Manager – Langtons Domestic Wine, says “this goes to show that our customers are looking for international wine as part of their buying habits and part of that is there’s a whole world of discovery that’s there.”
Gunesekara continues: “It’s just a great opportunity for us to look at Chile in a very different way, because most people know of Chilean wine at that value end. We wanted to showcase some of the greatness that this part of the world has to offer and I think Viñedo Chadwick really delivers on that promise.”
Both Pourtier and Gunesekara believe that the appetite for global fine wine is broadening and diversifying beyond its traditional flag-bearers.
“We do have some crossover with people drinking Bordeaux, especially due to our history where we did some comparative tasting in the past featuring top wines from Bordeaux and Italy,” said Pourtier, while Gunesekara adds that “this is something that we need to do. We need to really back ourselves and back these producers.”
When asked if Chile and Chadwick are just one piece of a broader puzzle, Gunesekara says “absolutely: If you look at Italy, for example … everyone knows Piedmont and Barolo and Nebbiolo grape varieties and Barbarescos and all of that, and they’re fine, they don’t need any help, the great wines from there will always sell … but then there’s this whole breadth of wines in the middle of all of that that no one really knows and no one really tells that story, so we’ll work with our partners to help elevate some of those stories as well.”
Viñedo Chadwick and its Maipo Valley terroir
While the wine estate dates back to 1999, Viñedo Chadwick’s story properly began in 2004 where Viñedo Chadwick 2000 outperformed wines such as Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 2000, Château Margaux 2001 and Château Latour 2000 in a tasting organised Steven Spurrier, the same wine writer that organised the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. Since then, the Chilean wine brand has continued to score highly in global wine competitions, cementing its reputation. The 1999 vintage also became the first Chilean wine to achieve a perfect 100 point score upon being reviewed by critic James Suckling.
“These and other tastings totaled over 15 nations and reached more than 1,400 wine experts,” said Steven Spurrier, Chairman of the Decanter World Wine Awards.
“Chilean wines were placed among the top three places in 20 out of the 22 events, achieving a remarkable 90 per cent success rate in the overall preferences. It is this consistency across different vintages over a ten-year period that is so important.”
Explaining where the Viñedo Chadwick brand sits in the Australian market, Julien Pourtier says “it’s a wine for people who are really into Cabernet Sauvignon,” adding that it “can be enjoyed while young but also can age many years” — a fact highlighted in the vertical tasting, which spanned six vintages from 2010 to the soon-to-be-released 2022.
Building on this, Pourtier says its target market is “people that have the top wine from Australia, such as Grange, or top first growth from Bordeaux — you know, Chateau Lafite, Margaux, [or] top cult wine from the US/top Italian wines.”
Despite the new-found domestic push behind Chadwick, Gunesekara says it’s still “an insignificant part of our business at the moment” and that “we’re learning as we go.
“We did something similar when Laurent Ponsot was in town last year and we’ll continue to do this: we’ll continue to bring in our partners from internationally, and we’re going to engage with the wine media to try and tell these wines’ story, because I think it’s important and someone needs to be able to do that,” he continued.
Similarly, Pourtier says that, given Chadwick’s limited volumes dictated by its 400 hectare vineyard in Puente Alto on the outskirts of Santiago de Chile, its presence in Australia is restricted naturally. “We only produce around 8,000 to 10,000 bottles a year, so it’s very limited,” he said. “In Australia, we probably have, in reality today, around maybe 30 bottles available, so it’s very [much], I think, for top collectors.”
Despite this, Julien Pourtier is optimistic about growing the brand in Australia: “We’ve never really been active in Australia before, so I think it’s a perfect time to start. We have very good partnership staff with Langtons.”
Founder Eduardo Chadwick and Executive Director Magui Chadwick
Drinks Trade had the opportunity to trial six different vintages of Viñedo Chadwick Cabernet Sauvignon, including the soon-to-be released 2022 vintage, which was a clear standout among the seven wine professionals invited to the tasting.
This is what we thought about three of the standout vintages:
Viñedo Chadwick 2022
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (96%), Petit Verdot (4%)
Region: Maipo Valley, Chile
Our thoughts: “Concentrated, ethereal, with layered complexity that offers itself slowly and with elegance. Ripe black plum aromas, with blue and red berry licks. Red liquorice. Crushed herbs with florals. Ashen cigar box oak integrated throughout all, but delicate. Palate dances between delicate and assertive, with herbal undertones to pristine fruit. Fine dancing tannins that seem to morph with the flavours. Everything in its place — a real elegant poise.”
Viñedo Chadwick 2016
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (97%), Petit Verdot 3%)
Region: Maipo Valley, Chile
Our thoughts: “Savoury spice and herbal overtones to powerful, rich fruit – dried cassis and red liquorice balances fresh blue and black berry fruit. Faint glimmers of bright red fruits and floral hints interplay, adding layers of freshness. Structure is supple, silky and yet detailed, with fine silkiness that moves and morphs. Effortlessly long.”
Viñedo Chadwick 2010
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon (100%)
Region: Maipo Valley, Chile
Our thoughts: “Fruit profile is dried, laden with spice, liquorice and herbal flecks atop a base of black plum. Hints of red berry still just shine through. Also dried florals, choc oak, and a dusty ashy cigar box character. Despite the age, palate retains a concentrated power, yet still with undeniable elegance, with tension between fresh and dried flavours. Integrated tannins gell into sugar and oak – a homogenous experience albeit with so many layers on show.”
The dramatic landscape surrounding Viñedo Chadwick