Colchagua
Chile's red-wine powerhouse
- Soil
- Warm valley and granite hillside ('Apalta') soils south of Santiago.
- Style
- Ripe, powerful Carménère, Cabernet and Syrah; opulent hillside blends.
- Top sites
- The Apalta amphitheatre is the most prized hillside sub-zone.
- Vintages
- 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021
- Producers
- Viu Manent
Tip · Colchagua is Chile's warm-hearted red engine. The horseshoe-shaped Apalta hillside, with old Carménère vines, makes its most celebrated wines.
Value pick
Montes 'Alpha' Carménère · ~$20
A ripe, polished, chocolate-and-spice Carménère from Apalta — the grape's classic Chilean expression at a great price.
Collector pick
Lapostolle 'Clos Apalta' · ~$130 · 2017
A Carménère-led Apalta hillside blend, one of South America's most acclaimed wines — built for long cellaring.