Viña Undurraga celebrates with 140th anniversary bottlings

Chilean winery Viña Undurraga has released a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Carmenere to mark the milestone anniversary. db surveys the wines and Patrick Schmitt MW offers his tasting notes.

Marking a significant anniversary involves many things – good food, good company and a chance to reflect – but in the world of wine, it often means one more thing: a limited-edition cuvée. Viña Undurraga has certainly leaped at the opportunity, releasing two wines under its renowned Founder’s Collection label to mark the occasion.

Although Viña Undurraga has a deserved reputation for innovating and making unusual wines, for the Founder’s Collection 140 Years releases, the winery has stuck with Chilean classics. The wines represent emblematic Chilean varieties from some of the nation’s top terroirs.

Cabernet Sauvignon is Chile’s most widely planted variety and serves as the lead player in many of its most iconic wines. For the new release, sourced from the 2022 vintage, Viña Undurraga turned to the Maipo Valley. Situated around the capital Santiago, with vineyards extending between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, around half the region is dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon. This example, sourced close from the Andes, was chosen by the winery for its structure, firm tannins and deep notes of black fruit and spice.

On the other hand, Carmenere is a relatively recent triumph for the Chilean wine industry. Thought to be virtually extinct, it was discovered in Chile in 1994, having been misidentified as Merlot. Since then, it has become a true Chilean speciality, known for its softer character and notes of berry fruit, red pepper and tobacco. The limited-edition release, once more from the 2022 vintage, has been sourced from Colchagua Valley, another transverse valley sitting to the south of Santiago.

In addition to their precise sourcing and winemaking, the two releases are marked by their revamped packaging. Each bears a medallion to mark the 140th anniversary, a touch which evokes both the year’s celebrations and traditional marks of achievement.

“We wanted this packaging to evoke elegance, heritage, and timelessness,” explains Magdalena Villasante, marketing manager at Viña Undurraga. “The design is both understated and sophisticated, and every detail – especially the medallion – tells the story of the legacy we are honouring. This wine is more than a product; it’s a statement of identity and vision.”

Patrick Schmitt MW recently tasted both of the anniversary bottlings, and offers his tasting notes for them below.

Founder’s Collection Anniversary Edition Carmenere

• Winery: Viña Undurraga
• Region: Colchagua Estate, Colchagua Valley
• Vintage: 2022
• ABV: 14.5%
• RRP: £30
• Residual Sugar: 2.68g/l
• Grape Variety: 100% Carmenere

A really delicious varietal Carmenere that draws attention to the quality attainable from Chile’s emblematic grape, even when bottled without other grapes. Fleshy and ripe, yet spicy and fresh, there’s a lovely mouth-feel to this wine, while flavour-wise, there’s plenty of appeal too. Among the characters are red and dark berry fruit, peppercorn and a hint of capsicum, allied to notes of dark chocolate and a touch of vanilla cream too. Finally, some grippy tannin on the finish brings a dry edge to this concentrated red.

Founder’s Collection Anniversary Edition Cabernet Sauvignon

• Winery: Viña Undurraga
• Region: Santa Ana Estate, Maipo Valley
• Vintage: 2022
• ABV: 14%
• RRP: £30
• Residual Sugar: 2.75g/l
• Grape Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

An intense and structured pure Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley, this red is one for steak or the cellar – it has the potential to age for a decade or more. Rich in flavours of blackcurrant and dried mint, then vanilla and dark chocolate, there’s plenty of concentration, as well as tannin – this is a serious and grippy wine with a dry finish.

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