Don Maximiano Founders Reserve
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted rack of lamb, prime rib-eye steak, or slow-cooked venison stew.
✨ Technical Specifications
Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve is the flagship cuvée of Viña Errázuriz, named in honor of Don Maximiano Errázuriz, who founded the estate in 1870. Don Maximiano famously declared, 'From the best land, the best wine,' a philosophy embodied in this iconic Bordeaux-style blend. Sourced primarily from the historic Max vineyards in the mid-section of the Aconcagua Valley, the vines thrive on colluvial soils with high stone content, which provides excellent drainage and imparts a distinct mineral tension. The climate here features hot, dry days tempered by cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, allowing the grapes to achieve optimal ripeness while preserving vibrant acidity. Traditionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, the blend is artfully completed with Carmenere, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, then aged for up to 22 months in French oak barrels. This produces a wine of immense structure, complexity, and elegance, marked by deep black fruit, graphite, and sweet spice notes.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz, Viña Errázuriz is an architect of modern Chilean viticulture. Sited in the Aconcagua Valley, the estate traverses diverse mesoclimates, moving from warm, alluvial inland terraces framed by the Andes to cool-climate maritime slopes in Aconcagua Costa. Viticulture emphasizes precision farming certified under the Wines of Chile Sustainability Code. Errázuriz revolutionized Chile's global standing through the historic 2004 Berlin Tasting orchestrated by Eduardo Chadwick, alongside longtime Technical Director Francisco Baettig. While internationally revered for red icons, Errázuriz’s white wine program demonstrates profound terroir mastery, especially along the coastal schist soils of the Las Pizarras vineyard. Benchmark white expressions like Las Pizarras Chardonnay deliver striking mineral reduction, crystalline acidity, and tension, while the Max and Costa Sauvignon Blancs showcase vibrant, citrus-driven linear precision that highlights the estate's exceptional Pacific maritime influence.
🍇 Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon (typically 65-75%), blended with varying proportions of Carmenere, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah.
🍷 ABV
13.5-14.5%