Chardonnay los Primos, Baettig, Traiguen

The 2018 Chardonnay Viñedo Los Primos originates from Traiguén, Araucanía, in the southern Central Valley. Aged for 12 months in oak barrels, with 26% of them being new, this green-yellowish wine reveals aromas of ginger cookie, sponge cake and hazelnut alongside cedar-vanilla notes. It also presents hints of aniseed and fennel. Dry, lean and creamy on the palate, this nervy and vibrant white offers a nimble mouthfeel. In comparison to more modern vintages, it may lean toward a slightly leaner profile. - Joaquin Hidalgo

The austere and tight 2021 Selección de Parcelas Los Primos Chardonnay feels very young. It was harvested the second week of April, keeping very good freshness and acidity, with 13% alcohol, and there was part of the wine that he did not add any sulfur. He used 35% new 400-liter barrels, and the used ones are still 228-liter ones that eventually will be replaced with the used 400-liter ones in future years. There is great purity and symmetry; the oak is neatly integrated; and there's nuance, detail and a superb juiciness in the palate and citrus acidity that makes you salivate. The palate is dry and mineral, serious, less Meursault and more Chablis... It's persistent and long and has all the ingredients and balance between them to develop nicely in bottle. - Luis Gutièrrez

Intense and focused with stones and an oyster-shell minerality to the lemon zest and oatmeal. This is broad and ample but limey, with beautifully high acidity that goes incredibly well with the structure and the weight of it. Textured and long with a saline edge in the finish. So intense, but bone-dry, mineral and effortless.

The 2021 Chardonnay Selección de Parcelas Los Primos hails from Traiguén, Malleco, in the Araucania Region. It was fermented in whole bunches before ageing for 15 months, 35% in new French oak and the rest in used barrels. A slightly murky greenish yellow in the glass. The attractive aromas range from ginger zest to green apple with hints of lime and a touch of acacia followed by a nutty hazelnut layer. Velvety without being overly rich, it delivers an ethereal, refreshing palate tempered by a chalky texture and a pinch of salt. Rich and long-lasting, the nuanced finish ends with an aftertaste of fruit and hazelnut. - Joaquin Hidalgo

Jeg testede denne chardonnay over flere dage og er imponeret over, hvordan den bevarede friskheden hele vejen igennem og samtidig opnåede større og større koncentration. Duften har let nøddet karakter, men ellers er det de intense æblearomaer – både frugt og skræl – og den friske citrussyre, der fylder i næsen. I smagen folder noter af fersken, æblemost og sød/syrlig citrus sig ud. Det giver en god balance, og vinen bliver hængende længe i munden afsluttende med en lækker, salt eftersmag. Dette er chile-chardonnay på et højt niveau.

Complexity and lots of stamina and verve here! Smoky lemons, nougat, ginger and flint provide a very flavorful palate. Intense and substantial on the palate, but still elegant and nuanced, with a hint of phenolics at the end. Long, focused finish. Think fine Meursault.

Baettig selected the El Triángulo and Llaima Largo plots to produce the 2019 Selección de Parcelas Los Primos Chardonnay because they deliver more vertical, mineral and tense wine to achieve finesse and complexity. (...) The whole clusters were pressed, and the juice was put in French barrels to ferment with indigenous yeasts. It matured for 16 months in 400-liter oak barrels, 38% of them new. This is super austere, shy and closed, with subtle complexity, not very varietal, more about the soils and the cooler place. 2019 was not a large crop, and the wines have good concentration, a good year in the south. It has good depth, pungent flavors and some nutty, wax and acacia notes, not exuberant or explosive, but elegant and with density and more weight than the 2018, which gives it more depth and layers. This is superb, very complete. - Luis Gutierrèz

The 2019 Chardonnay Baettig Selección de Parcelas Los Primos hails from Traiguén, Malleco, and was aged for 16 months in 400-liter French barrels, 38% new. Attractive bright yellow in color. The core of the complex, enticing nose consists of ginger, lemon peel and green apple plus hints of nougat, acacia and hazelnut. In the mouth it is both silky and elegant, with a vibrant acidity that channels the palate and elongates the delicate finish. A masterfully made wine from Francisco Baettig. - Joaquín Hidalgo

Fermenteret i franske fade med naturlig gæring. Herefter 12 måneder i 400-liters fade (26% nye). Flot koncentration. Intens med fersken, orange, kamille, citrus og vaniljenoter. Yderst vellavet og meget burgundisk med mineralske noter. Flot fadintegration. Sprød afslutning.

Los Primos Chardonnay 2018 på blot 12,5 % har friskhed på toppen af en begyndende moden næse med abrikos, pærekompot, egestave, lys fudge, valle og klaret smør med citronsyre. En forbavsende intens oplevelse på trods af alkoholprocenten.

Francisco Baettig's new wines are taking Chilean Chardonnay and Pinot to a new level. Subtle aromatics lead into a sumptuous yet tense, ageworthy palate profile. Utterly cogent and beautifully fluent: grace and class in a flinty, gently nutty style. Very grown-up.

... cropped from a cooler year that resulted in a slow ripening of the grapes and a late harvest (mid April) of very healthy grapes, thanks to the cold and windy weather during the end of the cycle. It's lower in alcohol than the 2017 and keeps equally high and healthy acidity. The vinification was similar to the 2017, fermenting the juice from pressing the full clusters in French barrels and a shorter élevage of 12 months in 400-liter oak barrels. This is a cooler vintage, and the wine feels a lot more austere and undeveloped; it was a year of slow ripening of the grapes, and the wine is also moving at a very slow pace. There are some flinty sensations with a note of gun powder. It has more finesse and tension, more detail and complexity but in a subtle way. The palate is vibrant and very precise, with symmetry and more austerity and a marked salty note on the finish that makes it very tasty. This has superb balance and should develop nicely in bottle. - Luis Gutierrez

Baettig selected the El Triángulo and Llaima Largo plots to produce the 2017 Selección de Parcelas Los Primos Chardonnay because they deliver more vertical, mineral and tense wine to achieve finesse and complexity. The first experimental vinification was 2016, and 2017 was warmer and drier and delivered rounder and complex wines. The clusters were pressed and the juice put to ferment in French barrels with indigenous yeasts. It matured for 17 months in 400-liter oak barrels, 26% of them new. The wine has 13% alcohol and very high acidity (8.9 grams!), keeping a low pH of 3.14. It feels a little honeyed and developed—with faint notes of caramel—riper and more advanced than the 2018, with abundant aromas of pollen and beeswax, a little nutty and with hints of grilled bread. With time, there is a balsamic note reminiscent of camphor. Warm and cold vintages are not as marked as in other zones of Chile, and this is in the south, a cool-climate region, where the vintages can be a bit more homogeneous. But tasting this side by side with the 2018, you can still see it. The palate is quite sharp and grainy, with very focused and tasty flavors, clean and long - Luis Gutierrez

Francisco Baettig has an enviable track record with Chardonnay at Errázuriz, so it's no surprise that the first release from his own vines in the Traiguén sub-region of Malleco is so impressive. Saline, mineral and fizzing with energy, this has skilfully integrated 26% new wood, pear, wet stone and citrus flavours and a hint of smoky oak.

Francisco Baettig has an enviable track record with Chardonnay at Errázuriz, so it's no surprise that the first release from his own vines in the Traiguén sub-region of Malleco is so impressive. Saline, mineral and fizzing with energy, this has skilfully integrated 26% new wood, pear, wet stone and citrus flavours and a hint of smoky oak. 2020-2025