History
Eduardo Chadwick represents the fifth generation of Viña Errazuriz’s founding family
Viña Arboleda is Eduardo Chadwick’s personal venture. He is also the owner of Seña, Chile’s first icon wine, initially born as a joint venture with the legendary Californian vintner Robert Mondavi.
Eduardo’s vision for his Arboleda project is to make the most sustainable, pure and modern wines to showcase the world-class quality of the best terroirs in the Aconcagua Valley.
This region lies 100km north of Chile’s capital city Santiago, and is named after the mighty Aconcagua mountain, the highest peak in the western hemisphere that also lends its name to a river that runs down to the Pacific.
Open to the ocean, the Valle de Aconcagua enjoys a variety of climates as it meanders its way from the Andes to the ocean; as a result the region is officially divided into two viticultural sub-regions reflecting its climatic influences: the Aconcagua Costa and Valle de Aconcagua.
The philosophy behind the Arboleda project is to craft single-vineyard wines that reveal the purest expression of each unique terroir of the Aconcagua Valley, matching specific grape varieties to specific sites.
Arboleda’s grapes are grown in two estate-owned vineyards: some in Chilhué, located in Quillota in the sub-region of Aconcagua Costa (just 12km from the cold Pacific Ocean) and the others at Las Vertientes (a warmer zone located further inland).
Arboleda means ‘grove of trees’, the name chosen in homage to the 1,450 hectares (3,583 acres) of native forest that surround the vineyards, effectively a nature reserve.
Winemaking
Francisco and his team are committed to intervening as little as possible to create wines of purity.
The philosophy of winemaking here is minimal intervention to encourage wines of the purest expression. To achieve this, the team closely follows the evolution of the vines throughout the growing season to help make informed decisions in the cellar.
Each vineyard plot is vinified separately with specified appropriate winemaking techniques used thereafter according to each parcel. This approach ensures maintaining the intrinsic characteristics of each variety and terroir.
The winemaking team are led by Francisco Baettig, whose impressive credentials include a master’s degree in oenology and winemaking experience across Chile, Argentina, the US and France. He is known for creating wines of marked elegance, great balance and expression — a style that suits what Eduardo Chadwick wanted to achieve at Arboleda.
To find out more about Francisco, you can read his producer spotlight blog here.
The Vineyards
The grapes for the Arboleda wines come from its two estate grown vineyards, Las Vertientes and Chilhué, both nestled at the bounty Aconcagua Valley.
‘Las Vertientes’ vineyard in Hijuelas, located in the sub-region of Valle de Aconcagua, just 37km from the cold Pacific Ocean.
The vineyard enjoys a warm, clement Mediterranean climate. Cool breezes blowing in from the cold Pacific Ocean mitigate the heat in the height of summer, prolonging the ripening season and allowing the grapes to ripen fully and slowly, whilst retaining their freshness and acidity.
Alluvial deposits with a high percentage of stones and gravel, contributing to the minerality of the wines; a layer of loam also helps to improve drainage and effective water penetration.
Chilhué vineyards are in the Aconcagua valley just 12km from the Pacific. The cool maritime climate with the significant influence of the Humboldt current, bringing morning mist and warm sunny afternoons, followed by cool nights. The alternating mist and sunshine, warmth and cool ocean breezes help mitigate warm summer temperatures, prolonging the ripening process, and helping to develop delicate aromas and flavours while simultaneously preserving vital acidities.
The volcanic rocks, with a prevalence of schist and slate, giving the wine its unique minerality.
Arboleda’s philosophy is to produce single-vineyard wines that are the purest expression of each unique terroir within the Aconcagua Valley. The vineyards are farmed sustainably, to promote a balanced ecosystem, honouring the land.