Viñedos de Alcohuaz

Alcohuaz, Elqui

+56 2 2915 4900

On appointment

Elqui

Viñedos de Alcohuaz is one of the most exciting wine projects in Chile, and also the highest altitude — with vineyards over 2,200 m.a.s.l. in the upper Elqui Valley. This inspiring passion project comes from the Flaño family and one of Chile’s most travelled winemakers, Marcelo Retamal.

The terroir is, in a word, extreme. With steep slopes, dramatic granite boulders scattered between vines and intense sunlight (and stars!), the character of this high-altitude terrain comes across in the wines: which buzz with tension and purity. The winemaking is intended to retain the character of the place, with all the grapes crushed by foot in stone lagares, native yeast fermentations and using mainly foudres and concrete eggs to store the wines in their underground mountain cellar for years before release. Both crazy and genius at the same time, the wines and vineyards of Viñedos de Alcohuaz are some of Chile’s most thrilling.

About Viñedos de Alcohuaz

Viñedos de Alcohuaz has a modern winery in the heights of Elqui which harks back to tradition and heritage with a back-to-basics stone winemaking facility with large open pools to crush the grapes by foot and no pumps or electricity. Viñedos de Alcohuaz is the vision of winemaker Marcelo Retamal and artist Patricio Flaño who are partners in the vineyard and winery since their first vintage in 2011.

Elqui is renowned for its star gazing and special energy, and this area, in particular, has been a popular destination for new-age travellers for decades. Whether that energy improves the quality of the wine is your decision, but the unadulterated sunshine has proven a good partner for the Mediterranean varieties they have planted there including Syrah, Petit Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Malbec.

The art to Viñedos de Alcohuaz wines with winemaker Marcelo Retamal

About the Viñedos de Alcohuaz vineyards

The vineyards surround the winery in high altitude Elqui valley, which far into the Andes mountains and the easternmost appellation of the region. Although this region was typically planted with vineyards for Pisco production, Viñedos de Alcohuaz was the first fine wine producer planting red wine grapes in high density.

This altitude – with vineyards ranging from 1,650 to 2,206 m.a.s.l. – offers extreme luminosity making wines of deep colour and concentration. The climate also benefits from a wide diurnal range with very cool nights and sunny, warm days. The soils are of intrusive geological origin, mainly of granite with some quartz and clay, and mostly planted on steep slopes. This combination leads to wines with energy, tension, intensity and fresh acidity.

The vineyards are planted with Syrah, Garnacha, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Carineña, Touriga Nacional, Marsanne and Roussanne.

Viñedos de Alcohuaz wines

RHU

Rhu is the top line of Viñedos de Alcohuaz’s wines and a blend of Syrah, Garnacha and Petite Sirah. This is an incredibly ageworthy wine which can cellar for decades, and is only released after 35 months ageing in foudres and another two years in bottle. Rhu is named after the portal through which information passes from divinity to humanity.

GRUS

Grus is the second wine of Viñedos de Alcohuaz and a blend made with Syrah, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Garnacha, Malbec and Cariñena. It is an energetic wine with freshness and tension which will also cellar well.

LA ERA

La Era is 100% Malbec from a single parcel and it is the highest expression of this grape in the Elqui Valley. The wine is aged for 20 months in concrete eggs.

CUESTA CHICA

Cuesta Chica is a 100% Grenache from a single parcel planted in 2009 and 2010. This red wine is fermented in truncated concrete wine tanks and indigenous yeast.

TOCOCO

Tococo is 100% Syrah from a single parcel, planted in 2009 at 1,788 meters high. Tococo is a typical bird from the valley who prefers walking than flying so it moves swiftly through the vineyards. The wine is aged for 20 months in wood foudres before bottling.

About the winemaker, Marcelo Retamal

Marcelo Retamal is one of Chile’s top winemakers with unparalleled experience working throughout the wine regions of Chile. It was on one of his many wine adventures seeking new terroirs in Chile that he came across the new vineyards of the Flaño family in Alcohuaz and became a partner in the project.

Marcelo, known as Reta, is a champion of low intervention wines seeking verticality and pure terroir expression. He was winemaker at De Martino for 25 years, but since 2021 he is entirely focused on Viñedos de Alcohuaz and his own project, Reta wines.

Visiting Viñedos de Alcohuaz

You can visit the stunning winery and vineyards of Viñedos de Alcohuaz for a tasting and tour. There is also a wine shop located near to the winery where you can buy the whole portfolio of these wines.