2018 Haras de Pirque Galantas Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc

Haras de Pirque by Antinori: Chilean top wines with Italian charm. Haras de Pirque is owned by the renowned Italian wine family Antinori and is located 30 km south of Santiago in one of the most prestigious areas of the Maipo Valley. It is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Los Andes, known for its unique geographical and climatic conditions. Haras de Pirque represents the blend of the New and Old wine world; a blend between Chile and Italy, a blend of different families with one shared passion: producing fantastic wines.

The wine cellar of Haras de Pirque, which is shaped like a horseshoe, is truly spectacular. A tribute to the oldest thoroughbred horse breeding farm in the country, founded in 1892 just a stone's throw from the winery. The best racehorses from Chile came from here. The cellar, located on the hillside, is designed to integrate the element of gravity into all phases of wine production. This limits the use of equipment and guarantees a higher degree of energy savings and quality. Sustainability is very important to Haras de Pirque and guides its entire business operations, from water management to 'people management'. Of course, this also includes organic farming. Since 2006, the focus has been on making organic wine.

The Haras de Pirque Galantas Gran Reserva is a blend of cabernet franc (85%) carmenere (15%). The grapes for this wine come from four different plots. After manual harvesting, the Cabernet Franc and Carmenère grapes are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks and French oak barrels. The cold maceration prior to fermentation (3-5 days) is intended to fully utilize the aromatic components of the grapes. After fermentation, in which only spontaneous yeasts are used, the wine matures for 14 months in new French oak barrels.

The 2018 will be remembered in Haras de Pirque as a great vintage. The climate, which is generally cool, has made it possible to enhance the aromas and flavors of the grapes from the Maipo Valley. The Galantas Gran Reserva is a wine that can express the lively elegance and finesse of the unique terroir of the Maipo Andes Valley with the Cabernet Franc,” says winemaker Cecilia Guzman Arriagada about this wine. The grapes come from the organic vineyards of Haras de Pirque, located in the Maipo Andes valley at more than 700 meters above sea level. Here Cabernet Franc manages to maximize its significant potential, assisted by the cool nights of the Andrés foothills. The aim of the Galantas Gran Reserva is to boost the popularity of the cabernet franc grape.

The Galantas Gran Reserva is a wine with a red-purple color. The nose smells of dark fruit such as blueberries and blackberries. The taste is smooth, full, persistent and characterized by pleasant tannins.

92/100 pts. -James Suckling
94/100 pts. - Tim Atkin Master of Wine
94/100 pts. - Descorchados

“ Cabernet franc, the pride of the Loire Valley, is also getting more and more play time in Chile. This often results in atypical playing patterns. Too sweet, too massive, too ripe and to mask its characteristic wandering, often playing hide and seek behind emphatic oak. But look: 'Galantas represents the full expression of Cabernet Franc in the Maipo Andes Valley' says the back label. Now experience shows that most Chilean cabernet francs that were produced also had Maipo as their origin. And indeed it also defends itself bravely. Ripe blackberries, dark plums, laurel licorice, the sweetness of roasted peppers and here and there a hint of solar eclipse for those characteristic, attractive dark parts .” – Harold Hamerma, rated 9