Escaleras de Empedrado is one of the most unique vineyards in Maule: planted on steep slate slopes just 21km from the ocean. We talked with Eduardo Jordan, winemaker at Miguel Torres, all about this exceptional vineyard and terroir which is one of the most extreme vineyards in Chile.
Originally the vineyard was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Cariñena, but after years of experimentation it was replanted with Pinot Noir. So cool is the coastal climate, that it suits this early ripening variety best. We also taste the recent vintages of Escaleras de Empedrado Pinot Noir to give you the full lowdown on this iconic wine in Chile.
About Miguel Torres Escaleras de Empedrado vineyard in coastal Maule
Highlights of the video
Eduardo, we are here in the incredible Escaleras de Empedrado vineyard of Torres which has to be pretty unique in the world and definitely quite unique here in Chile. Can you tell us all about this vineyard?
We are located here in Empedrado, which is a coastal area. We are very close to the sea, in coastal Maule, 21km away from the sea. We have incredible soils here, there aren’t too many places with this kind of soil. It is pizarra or slate. This type of soil and rocks give wines some special characteristics in the nose and mouth, the wines have a more mineral profile.
Can you tell me about the formation of the soils?
The piedra pizarra or slate was formed after two processes. The soil has different layers and minerals in between the layers so the roots take time to go in depth and this gives wine something quite special.
Can the vine roots actually go in between these layers?
Depending on the area. Here in Empedrado we have four types of soils and this will determine the amount of time it takes the roots to go in depth. But it is approximately 3 or 4 years more than for example the same vineyard on alluvial soil.
Your plants here are a lot smaller and take a lot longer to grow. What else is key to the growing conditions here and why did you decide it was great for Pinot Noir in particular?
The Torres’ family was looking for slate soil. After several years of research, we realized that this wasn’t the ideal area for reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha, Cariñena because it is too cold. We have a lot of influence from the sea and winds, around two times per week. And we saw that Pinot Noir was the grape variety that expressed the best quality. The slate gives you a very different texture to the wine.
You have been making wines here for four years, four vintages, what do you think is the property of these pizarra or slate soils in the expression of Pinot Noir?
It’s a mix of the rocks, the climate but also the type of soil that’s above the rocks. In an area where there’s more clay, wines will be more round but if there’s less soil, less clay and more rocks, wines will have more structure.
In terms of challenges, you also get a lot of frosts here. Can you tell me a bit about those risks?
Yes, I think this is the place in Chile where we have the most frosts. This year we had seven frost events! The system to avoid the frosts got frozen as well!
So how much did you lose this year to frosts?
I think it was around 10% of the production.
Which are the most exciting vintages? We are tasting the 2018, which is quite delicious at the moment. Which to you are the vintages to look out for?
The vintages that for me reflect the quality and potential we have here in Escaleras de Empedrado are 2013, considered a cool vintage, because you can feel the earthy character, the herbs and the structure of the wine, and 2018, which is more elegant and has more finesse. So if I mix both, the result would be amazing, probably the result I am looking for.
This vineyard has an incredible soil profile. I think the wine is really starting to show us the potential of what Escaleras de Empedrado is going to be in the end.
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