2016 Berry Bros. & Rudd Chilean Merlot by Viña Doña Javiera, Maipo Valley

Vina Dona Javiera

Viña Doña Javiera has a history of winemaking that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The family was one of the first to recognise the potential of the Maipo Valley and begun planting vines there in 1942. Located at El Monte, 50 kilometres west of Santiago, a site which gives its name to their Monte Verde range, with exposure to cooling Pacific breezes, this vineyard is blessed with a superb climate for viticulture. The winery has a capacity for 1.5 million litres and the plantings include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vines.

Viña Doña Javiera only produces wine from its own vineyard, with grapes hand-harvested after a strict selection process. Award-winning Chilean winemaker Felipe de Solminihac, ensures his wines have an impressive purity of fruit, delicate aromas and excellent structure.

Maipo

Maipo Valley, the northernmost within Central Valley, is one of Chile's most prominent wine regions. It is located east of San Antonio and Casablanca Valley and north of Rapel Valley, and is nestled between two mountain ranges, the Andes and the Coastal Mountains, with Chile's capital city, Santiago, sitting in the middle.

Maipo is renown for its exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe, subtle, spicy and complex with its signature, powerful eucalyptus and blackcurrant flavours. It amounts for over 60% of the regions 10,000ha. Merlot, Chardonnay and Carmenere are also important.

Maipo plays host to several major, quality Chilean wine companies, including Almaviva, Concha y Toro, William Fevre, Santa Rita, De Martino
 

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.

In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.

Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.