Estampa
A fresh breath of air from Colchagua Valley in Chile: an estate winery that is dedicated entirely to the art of assemblage. Assemblage is the balancing act of blending two or more varietals whereby each of them offers its best qualities to the final blend, hopefully resulting in a wine where the sum is greater than the sum of its parts.
Viña Estampa is located in the heart of the Colchagua Valley and boasts a most-impressive winery facility: beautifully designed and purpose-built. It is surrounded by estate vineyards — Estampa owns over 400 hectares spread throughout three sites in Colchagua: Palmilla, Marchigue and Paredones. Each site has its own unique microclimate, and adds complexity to the final wines.
Attilio Paglia
The wines are made by Marcela Chandía, whose star is steadily rising in Chile, and she consults with Attilio Pagli, one of Italy’s top winemakers. Attilio hails from Tuscany, and is the creator of Valdicava — one of their Brunello di Montalcino’s earned a perfect 100-point score in 2001 from Wine Spectator. Attilio consults with a number of other South American wineries, including Catena and Altos las Hormigas.
“I’m seduced by the huge potential that this pioneering winery clearly has with its emphasis on Assemblages. This approach implies a greater challenge given that working with one single varietal is much more straightforward than working with blends. Our task in Estampa is to manage each plot, successfully extract all the best qualities from our grapes and combine these individual characteristics to form a unique whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
— Attilio Pagli
The Estampa wines come in four distinct tiers, the main distinction being the amount and type of aging and the long-term potential. The following wines are currently in stock at Vinecraft.
Estampa Estate
The Estate range blends two grapes to create fresh, balanced wines that offer tremendous value. The dominant varietal is enhanced with a second varietal, and leads to distinctive aromas and flavors. The wines are aged for up to 4 months in second and third use oak, which imparts no flavor but is a superior aging vessel. Suggested retail for this tier is $13.99.
2011 Viognier/Chardonnay
2010 Carmenére/Malbec
2010 Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Verdot
2010 Malbec/Petit Syrah
Estampa Reserve
The Reserve tier of wines consists of wines of increasing complexity, structure and concentration. The blends each consist of three varietals, and mostly come from the Marchigüe estate, where the vines grow in very poor soil and therefore provide exceptional fruit. The Reserve wines are aged for up to 10 months in barrique. Suggested retail is $16.99.
2010 Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Viognier
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenére/Petit Verdot
Estampa Gold
The Gold wines are sophisticated and full-bodied wines made from carefully selected sub-plots from their Marchigüe estate. The wines each use four varietals and are aged for 12-14 months in a mixture of new and used French oak barrels. Suggested Retail $24.99
2008 Carmenére/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot
2008 Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec
Lacruz
Lacruz is their ultimate expression of quality. Suggested retail price of $50.00. 450 cases produced.
2008 Lacruz (Carmenére, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon)