Haras de Pirque, Chile

The estate of Haras de Pirque lies at the foothill of the Andes in the Maipo region of Chile. It stretches back to 1892, when it was established as a thoroughbred horse-breeding farm. The winemaking story of Haras de Pirque does not begin until the year 2000, when Marchese Piero Antinori visited the estate and joint venture began to plant vineyards and produce estate wines.

Antinori is of course one of the best known names of Italian wine, through his Tuscan wines spanning Chianti Classico to the original ‘super-Tuscan’, Tignanello. In homage to the estate’s heritage, the horseshoe-shaped winery works via gravity flow. With no need to pump wines between production stages grapes are handled gently and energy consumption is significantly reduced.

The vineyards are located between the Maipo River and the foothills of the Andes, with Pacific influence from the west giving hot, dry summers where ocean breezes bring cooler night temperatures. The significant diurnal shift and moderated climate extend the growing season for slow ripening and development of the fruit.

Ninety hectares (222 acres) are planted with red grape varieties at an altitude of 650 – 750 metres above sea level. The soil is rich in clay at lower levels, while the upper slopes are rocky. International grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are joined by Carménère, all for red wines. White wines are made from vineyards in the coastal areas of Casablanca and Leyda.

The Wines

I recently had the opportunity to try two wines from the home estate. The Galantas Cabernet Franc is from 2019, described as ‘optimal’, with a cool spring, relatively hot summer and cooler again between January and harvest in April for freshness and elegance. The Ecràl Carménère is from 2020 which experienced normal rainfall and temperature at bud break leading to uniform vine growth, then lower than average temperatures in summer giving ripeness and freshness.