Viña Maquis, 2016 Maquis Franco, Palmilla, Colchagua, Chile | Cab Franc Chronicles

Описание: Cab Franc Chronicles - Your source for all things Cabernet Franc!

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Analysis and commentary of the Viña Maquis, 2016 Maquis Franco, Palmilla, Colchagua, Chile

Based in the region of Palmilla in the heart of Chile's Colchagua Valley, the viticultural history of the Maquis estate can be traced back over 300 years when the land was first planted to vine by Jesuit missionaries. The modern story of the estate begins in 1916, when the property was purchased by José María Hurtado Larraín, who built a cellar and began to make wines with his son, Ignacio. The winery today is still in the hands of the Hurtado family, and is lead by 4th generation Ricardo Rivadeneira Hurtado.

Viña Maquis is unique, not only in Colchagua but in Chile as a whole, as the winery's history and ethos is deeply connected to Cabernet Franc. Among the first wines made at the estate by José and Ignacio where based with Cabernet Franc from vines planted on the property in the late 1800s, and some of these heritage vines remain planted today.

This commitment to Cabernet Franc was further solidified with the creation of Maquis Franco in 2008, the estate's flagship wine and Chile's first icon wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc - a wine that consistently ranks as Chile's best Cabernet Franc. And this passion for Cabernet Franc has continued at the Hurtado family's sister estate Viña Calcu in the Colchagua Costa region of Marchigüe, where they also grow Cabernet Franc for a single varietal wine.

All told, the family is working with about 39ha of Cabernet Franc vines across their estates and making three single varietal Cabernet Francs: the Maquis Revela Cabernet Franc and the Maquis Franco at Viña Maquis and at Viña Calcu the Tiny Blocks Cabernet Franc Gran Reserva. Their vineyards are farmed certified sustainable, Ricardo is supported by head winemaker Rodrigo Romero, and in the vineyard and cellar they are working with renowned viticulturalist Xavier Choné and consultant Eric Boissenot, son of legendary Bordeaux consultant Jacques Boissenot.

The sub-region of Palmilla is the second largest in Colchagua and is located in the western part of the Entre Cordilleras, and by all accounts this is Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère country, and I would argue that most of the region is too warm for Cabernet Franc. But Maquis and their vineyard are located is in truly a unique part of Palmilla, which is part of the reason why Cabernet Franc has been the cornerstone of this estate for over a century.

They are situated in the southern part of Palmilla, right at the confluence of two major rivers, the Tinguiririca and Chimbarongo Rivers, in fact these rivers come together right at the northern most part of the Maquis Vineyard. These rivers provide important cooling influences by moderating the summer temperatures and also bringing with them cooling breezes dropping the temperatures of this area 2 to 3C during the summer months. The second part that is unique here at Maquis is the soils, which are 2m of clay with a subsoil of gravels and river stones.Cabernet Franc really loves clay, particularly in warmer climates, because clay is a cooler soil because of its ability to retain moisture, so it creates a cooler and more moist environment, so that Cabernet Franc ripens slowly and the little possibility of drought stress.

The Maquis Franco is from about 2ha of vines planted on their own roots, that is ungrafted, in 1999 by massale selection using heritage vine materials brought over from Bordeaux at the end of the 19th century planted next to the Tinguiririca River. The Cabernet Franc blocks are at an elevation of around 160m above sea level in the southeast corner of the vineyard, and family planted the Cabernet Franc in the coolest parts of the vineyard.

Winemaking: Hand-harvested, 100% destemmed (30% crushed). Fermentation is in stainless steel with selected yeast at a fermentation temperature of around 22 to 24C. Time on skins: about 21 days with gentle pumping. The final assemblage of the wine is done by Eric Boissenot before the élevage in barrel, and the aging is over 24 months in 225L French oak barrels, about 1/3 new.

0:00 Viña Maquis - History
1:07 Viña Maquis and Cabernet Franc
2:26 Cabernet Franc in Chile
3:45 Colchagua overview
4:51 Colchagua climate
5:15 Palmilla overview
5:52 Maquis Vineyard growing environment
6:42 Maquis Vineyard soils
7:37 Vineyard selection 2016 vintage
9:24 Winemaking
10:51 2016 vintage conditions
11:40 Tasting notes

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Originally posted to Instagram March 10, 2025
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Key wine facts below:

Producer: Viña Maquis
Region: Central Valley
Region: Colchagua (Entre Cordilleras)
Sub-Region: Palmilla
Soil: 2m of clay over a subsoil of gravels and river stones
Assemblage: 94% Cabernet Franc, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon
Alcohol: 14%

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