2014 Alcance Vigno Carignan Old Vines Dry-Farmed Maule Valley Chile 750 ml

Our Master Sommelier, Sur Lucero, rarely speaks in superlatives, so when he called the Alcance Vigno Old Vines Carignan “one of my absolute favorite Southern Hemisphere wines,” it got our attention. 

And after he poured us a glass of the rich, polished red, the wine had our full devotion.

Estate-grown on 60-72-year-old vines and boasting several years in the estate cellar, the 2014 Alcance shares a disposition with the great wines of the Southern Rhône and Priorat. Painstakingly crafted into one of the nation’s purest Carignan expressions, it’s got far more power and satisfying concentration than its price would suggest.

For the money, few bottles capture a sense of place quite like this one. Backed by the same family that made Vérité and Cardinale into 100-point California icons, Alcance is a leader that “carries the torch” for a terroir-focused “wine making revolution,” according to Forbes.

Winemaker Andrés Sánchez leads a small group called “Vigno,” consisting of 16 vintners dedicated to protecting some of Chile’s most precious and expressive terroir. To put that word on the label, a wine must consist of at least 85% Carignan from dry-farmed vines aged 30 years or more, then be aged for two years. Master of Wine Tim Atkin has praised Vigno-labeled wines as “best in class,” while Decanter said, “It’s rare to find Carignan this complete.”

In the 2014 Alcance, Sánchez went beyond those requirements, using Carignan from 60+ year-old vines then aging the wine in French oak, evoking a vastly overachieving Carignan. 

Showcasing a blend of rich blackberry and plum aromas, it’s got emerging secondary notes of violets, Malabar peppercorns, thyme, and a touch of woodsmoke. The palate is perfectly balanced between polished fruit and slightly grippy tannins that carry the fruit- and earth-filled finish a mile on your palate.

Alcance draws primarily from two estate plots: El Maitén Vineyard in the Andes foothills, and the San Francisco Vineyard in the southwest portion of the Maule Valley, where quartz dots the arid soils. The climate here is desert-like, with only around 25 inches of rain falling in the winter. The soils are poor and dry—the perfect recipe for wines that show off savory richness and elegant aromas. 

Each grape bursts with a concentrated intensity that results from decades of deep-diving for every drop of precious water. These dry-farmed vines are bush-trained, low-yielding, and capable of absorbing a great amount of abuse from Mother Nature. The payoff is dark, brooding, captivating Carignan. 

Andrés Sánchez is an expert at coaxing out everything these ancient vines have to offer. He’s the one who invited Sur down to Chile to experience this project firsthand, and it’s no coincidence that these wines have since become highly sought-after by savvy sommeliers and Wine Access members alike. He doesn’t often open up his cellar, so seize this opportunity while you can.