In its fifth Chile Report, the British Master of Wine highlighted Santa Rita wines, especially Pewën de Apalta with 95 points and Casa Real Reserva Especial with 94 points.

London, April 2021.-  Launched recently, Tim Atkin’s Chile Report commented on the national wine scene “Tasting and talking remotely wasn’t as much fun as being in Chile, but it still enabled me to acquaint myself with most of the best current releases. It helps that I’ve been visiting Chile since 1990 and can see the latest vintages and wine styles in context. So I feel confident in saying that this was the best line-up of Chilean wines I’ve ever tasted”. He also added “…the outstanding quality of the 2018 vintage, which I mentioned last year. I can’t remember a better year in Chile, especially in the Maipo Valley, which is the home of several of the country’s highest profile wines. 2018 has taken Chilean fine wine to new levels”.

The different Santa Rita lines obtained important recognitions; Pewën de Apalta 2019, the high-end Carménère sourced from the most relevant soils in Chile for the variety, was awarded 95 points and included in the Carmenere’s of the Year ranking. “The ambitious aim at Santa Rita is to “prove that Pewën can be among the world’s best wines”, according to Sebastián Labbé. And why not? Sourced from an Apalta vineyard planted in 1938, this is certainly one of the best Carmenères in Chile and getting better with every vintage”, the critic mentioned.

Likewise, Casa Real Reserva Especial 2018 received 94 points, recognised for “Showing some of the heat of the 2017 vintage, this is ripe, textured and slightly figgy, with fine tannins, notes of incense and green herbs, impressive structure and deftly integrated 83% new French oak”, commented Atkin.

On the other hand, Triple C 2017 achieved 93 points, while Bougainville 2018 obtained 91 points.

The Floresta range also showed its consistency in Santa Rita’s portfolio, with Floresta Carménère 2019 awarded a score of 94, a wine that Atkin highlighted as “Packaged in a Burgundy bottle to underline the approach, this is focused, balanced and super fresh with sculpted tannins, black cherry and graphite flavours and very little oak influence”. Floresta Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 secured 93 points and Floresta Cabernet Franc 2019 reached 92 points.

Lastly, Medalla Real Gran Reserva Syrah 2019 was recognised with 93 points, from the Limarí Valley, with the Master of Wine mentioning that “For me, this is the best of the impressive Medalla Real range, made with fruit from a Limarí vineyard planted in 1997. Co-fermented with 3% Viognier and including 8% whole bunches, it’s fresh, spicy and aromatic, with some black pepper, fresh bramble and black fig flavours and smooth, deftly wooded tannins”. On the same range, Gran Reserva Carménère 2019 and Gran Reserva Pinot Noir 2019 obtained 91 points, and on whites, Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2020 and Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2020 received 90 points.