Altazor

James Suckling, Mar/2025

2022 -

"Impressive depth here from this year’s Altazor, showing more ripeness and fruit than the 2021. This has a bounty of cassis and berries with hints of graphite, cedar and fine, roasted spices. Full-bodied but juicy and sleek, it has lots of fine-grained tannins. Cabernet sauvignon with a smaller amount of carmenere and carignan. Better from 2027." - Zekun Shuai

Decanter, Jun/2024

2021 -

"There is beautiful precision to this Cabernet Sauvignon from Pirque, one of the coolest parts of Maipo, with layers of fresh black forest fruit, minerals and wild herbs. Graphite-like tannins and vibrant freshness lead to a long, spiced finish with tension and finesse." - Amanda Barnes

James Suckling, Mar/2025

2021 -

"Tobacco, charcoal, fine spices and a hint of graphite and white pepper to the sweet red berries. Complex and refined, this has excellent depth, exhibiting a little less fruit and weight if you compare this with the 2022 but showing more nuance and elegance. More of a medium-bodied wine but intriguing, it has a light cedary tone to the lengthy finish. Cabernet sauvignon with carmenere and carignan. Drink or hold." - Zekun Shuai

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Mar/2025

2021 -

"The 2021 Altazor comprises 94% Cabernet Sauvignon from Alto Maipo, 4% Carignan from Maule and 2% Carménère from Colchagua. It opens with a rich, harmonious and exotic nose of black fruits, exotic spices and turned earth. On the palate, it is intensely concentrated and seamless while exuding an athletic, dynamic energy. It concludes with a vibrant, creamy and long-lasting finish, remaining sleek but not feeling over-engineered." - Matthew Luczy

Descorchados, Jan/2024

2020 -

"...It’s a remarkable wine for the year—fresh, red, ample, vibrant, and full of crunchy red fruit. The tannins are still a bit wild, without that Maipo elegance, but it’s only a matter of time. This wine just gets better and better." - Patricio Tapia

James Suckling, Mar/2024

2020 -

No. 80, JAMES SUCKLING'S TOP 100 WINES OF CHILE 2024 "Some plush oak spices do not undermine the excellent depth and complexity here. Blackberries, currants, chocolate and a touch of cigar box. Full-bodied and quite ripe on the palate with a stack of powdery tannin that seamlessly coat the fruit. Long and complete finish, showing lots of structural drive. A very good effort from this vintage and probably one of the best from this wine. Good potential ahead. Cabernet sauvignon, carmenere and carignan. Drink from 2025."

Tim Atkin MW, Chile Special Report 2022

2018 -

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Jun/2022

2018 -

"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Altazor is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carignan and 2% Carménère from Maipo, Maule and Colchagua, respectively, and spent 16 months aging in 25% new oak. Garnet red with a purple sheen. The pleasantly intense, bold nose offers black currant and sour cherry over layers of bay leaf and oaky aromas. In the mouth, it’s a little compact with clear, satisfying flavors helped along by the juice, which keeps the tannins finely tuned and brings the whole to life."

James Suckling, Feb/2023

2018 -

"Minty blackberries with a hint of quince and currant leaf to the cassis, roasted red pepper and dark chocolate. This has started to develop a savory, tobacco leaf and cedary edge, too. Full-bodied and broad on the palate with dense, fine-grained tannins and a very long, complex finish. 92% cabernet sauvignon, 6% carignan and 2% carmenere. A more complete, mature style of Maipo cabernet sauvignon. Fruit from 31-year-old vines from Pirque. Drink or keep holding for three to four years."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Apr/2023

2018 -

"The perfumed nose of the 2018 Altazor is quite surprising and something I didn't expect in this blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Carignan and 2% Carmenere from a cool year in Maipo when they managed to keep the alcohol to a moderate 13.8% and retain very good freshness and acidity. The palate is medium to full-bodied wit abundant, fine-gained tannins, varietal flavors and texture and a long dry, finish. It matured in second use 225-liter French oak barrels for 18 months. 11,000 bottles were filled in October 2019. It's aging at a slow pace and should continue doing so for a long while."

Wine Enthusiast, Sep/2023

2018 -

CELLAR SELECTION "Pirque is a subregion of Maipo Valley. Vines grow on the banks of the river and the climate is influenced by the Andes Mountains. That's where the grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend come from. This is a well-balanced red, with delicate aromas of strawberry. It has silky tannins and a juicy mouthfeel. Blackberries, cherries and plums blend with cinnamon and light notes of eucalyptus. Drink now through 2030."

James Suckling, May/2022

2017 -

#60 of Top 100 Wines of Chile 2022. "A classic Chilean Cabernet with glossy cassis, tomato leaf, tobacco and chili chocolate, together with hints of mint and cedar. A juicy and savory expression with tight, mealy tannins in the medium to full body. Nice green olives come through in the long finish. Drink now or hold."

Tim Atkin MW, Chile Special Report 2021

2017 -

"Ambitiously priced, especially when you consider what bargains the Terroir Hunter wines represent, but this is certainly an ambitious red. Based on Cabernet Sauvignon with 8% Carignan and 2% Carmenère, it's a firm, compact cuvée aged in 25% new wood, with notes of mint and stony reduction and bramble and damson fruit." 

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Aug/2021

2017 -

"The top of the range suffered in comparison to others given the challenges of 2017, when the 2017 Altazor was produced with a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from an old vineyard in Pirque, 8% Carignan from Maule and 2% Carmenere from Colchagua. Despite everything, I love the textured palate—stony and mineral, serious and austere. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured for 16 months in French oak barrels, 20% of them new. It reveals a medium to full-bodied palate with grainy tannins and a dry finish. 10,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2018."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Feb/2020

2016 -

"The iconic 2016 Altazor is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, 5% Cariñena from Maule and 3% Carmenere from Colchagua but aims to express the character of Alto Maipo and the cooler 2016 vintage. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured for 16 months in French oak barrels, 30% of them new, and was kept in bottle for a further 18 months before being released. It's balsamic, serious and classical Maipo, with balsamic and minty undertones, a medium to full-bodied palate, grainy tannins and a dry, serious finish. There is good freshness and balance; the grapes were harvested in March before the heavy rains. 14,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2017."

Decanter, Sept/2021

2016 -

"Rafael Urrejola prefers the vines of Upper Maipo for Undurraga’s flagship wine, which he describes as ‘something different from the rest’. From a Pirque vineyard at 792m, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes account for 92% of a blend that is completed by Carmenère from Colchagua and Carignan from Maule. The result is a unique wine with complex aromas of red fruit, minerals and fresh herbs. Free-flowing and potent in the mouth, it delivers lovely freshness."

Antonio Galloni's Vinous, Mar/2021

2016 -

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Altazor is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% Carménère and 3% Carignan from Pirque, Maipo, and spent 16 months in French barrels. Rich garnet in hue. The nose offers balsamic notes along with mint and black pepper against a backdrop of leather, tobacco and toffee, with marked but restrained woody aromas coming before the fruit. Intense and a little indulgent in the mouth, it has fine tannins and a voluminous flow. Well-made in a classical style."

Tim Atkin's 2019 Chile Special Report

2016 -

James Suckling, Jun/2021

2016 -

"Savory aromas of dried currants, herbs, porcini, licorice, olives and lemon zest. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and fresh acidity. Satisfyingly chewy, layered and flavorful. Drink or hold."

Tim Atkin MW, Chile Special Report 2018

2015 -

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Oct/2018

2015 -

"The blend for the 2015 Altazor is slightly different, with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, 7% Carinena from Maule and 3% Carmenere from Colchagua. But it's produced in a similar way as the 2014, which had grapes from a warmer year, and the elevage was in 33% new barriques for 16 months. 2015 was a cooler year than 2014, and it's good that the wines reflect the natural conditions of the year. There is good freshness here as well as more subtle aromas and a vibrant palate, with some of the Maipo character but without any excess in any direction. This is more in line with 2013. 16,500 bottles were filled in October 2016."

James Suckling, Mar/2019

2015 -

"The nose here packs a lot of concentration, but everything is delivered with finesse. Dark plums, mulberries, dark cherries and cedar are the main attraction. Plush on the palate, but with some really good tannin bite, well delineated acidity and a spicy, long finish. 90 per cent cabernet sauvignon, seven per cent carmenere and three per cent carignan. Drink in 2023."

Decanter World Wine Awards 2019

2015 -

"90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Carmenere, 3% Carinena. Wonderfully rich, with layers of mint, violet and resinous dark fruit, while the palate is brimming with vibrant ripe fruit."

Wine Enthusiast, Nov/2019

2015 -

"Olive and herbal black-fruit aromas are common to Chile and lead this Cabernet blend towards a tightly knit palate that's running on crisp acidity. Plum and wild berry flavors are herbal and spicy, while this tastes peppery on a long and focused finish. Built to last; drink through 2030."

Decanter World Wine Awards 2018

2014 -

"82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carmenere, 8% Carignan. Typical Maipo fruit notes and very expressive on the herbal-sweetly spicy nose and palate with abundant black fruit aromas reverberating through to the finish; good succulent flavour and character. Well made, beautiful and balanced, this really feels effortless."

Wine Enthusiast, Mar/2018

2014 -

"Ripe, heady aromas of cassis, raisin and spice cake hold nothing back but aren't overdone. The palate is staunch in feel, with firm but manageable tannins, while this tastes of plum, berry fruits and tomato touched by savory oak. The full yet tight finish offers plenty of balance. Drink through 2025."

International Wine Challenge 2018

2014 -

"Glossy polished wine with youthful bright black currant fruit and sweet oak spice. A typical Chilean wine that should age well."

James Suckling, Mar/2018

2014 -

"I love the fragrant black cherry fruit and generous dry tannins of this rich, but well-balanced red. Only just beginning to give its best and should be even better in 2019 with at least a further decade of potential beyond that."

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Oct/2018

2014 -

"I had two vintages of the top-of-the-range red blend to taste side by side, starting with the 2014 Altazor. It’s 82% Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo with 10% Carmenere from Colchagua and 8% Carinena from old, dry-farmed vines in the south of Chile. The varieties fermented separately and matured in French barriques (30% new) for 16 months; the wine was then kept in bottle for another 16 months before being released. 2014 is riper than 2015, and the wine shows it, slightly compensated by a little more Carmenere and Carinena. It's round and lush, with fine-grained, abundant tannins. A powerful red blend. 12,900 bottles were filled in October 2015."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Jun/2014

2010 -

"The 2010 Altazor is a luxury cuvee produced as a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carmenere, 8% Syrah and 4% Petit Verdot and is a smooth and elegant version of a top-of-the-range wine, with fresh acidity, medium-bodied with supple tannins and clean flavors and aromas, with the wood neatly folded into the wine. This might not be that exciting or justify the hefty price tag, but it's very good. Drink now-2020."

Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, Dec/2015

2011 -

"The 2011 Altazor is a luxury cuvee from Maipo, in reality 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Carmanere from Colchagua and the balance with Carignan; this is a different blend from previous vintages, with more focus on Maipo Cabernet and the Carignan from Maule. It shows some rustic, tree bark-like aromas, with a mixture or red and black fruit and some spices. The entry feels a little sweet, but you soon find it has plenty of tannins and feels a little drying towards the finish. It might be a bit young, and should get polished in bottle."

Wine Enthusiast, Jun/2016

2011 -

"This slightly herbal blend of mostly Carmenere and Carignan offers aromas of tobacco, licorice root and anise. Tight and fresh in feel, but with padding. Earthy berry, hoja santa and tobacco flavors finish with a note of graphite."

James Suckling, May/2016

2012 -

"A juicy red with plum and chocolate aromas and flavors. Medium to full body, hints of wood and a medium finish. Drink now."

International Wine Challenge 2017

2013 -

Gold Medal "Sweet ripe fruit and cigar box on the nose, rich blackcurrant flavours, this wine has complexity structure, smooth tannins and a long finish"

Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, Apr/2017

2013 -

"The top of the rage is the red blend 2013 Altazor, which is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% each Carmenere and Carignan sold as Maipo even if the balance is provided by grapes from Colchagua and Maule respectively. It aged in French oak barrels (28% new) for 18 months. The conditions of 2013 were ideal for the style of wine that winemaker Rafael Urrejola likes to make, which is more austere, dry and fresh. Perhaps not as commercial as riper vintages like 2012, but for me, they are better wines overall, irrespective of the personal taste, as I feel they are able to express in a clearer way the place, variety and even the style of the vintage. This is a superb example, the best year I've tried since Urrejola took over in 2010. This is spicy, with contained ripeness, expressive and very tasty. Elegant within the powerful natural profile of Maipo. 12,200 bottles were filled in October 2014."

Tim Atkin MW, Chile Special Report 2017

2013 -

Descorchados 2018

2014 -