Why it matters
The producer
Klaus Schröder and Katharina Hanke own Viña AltaCima in the Lontué Valley. Schröder studied winemaking and vineyard management at Weinsburg and Geisenheim in Germany. After emigrating to Chile, he worked as an oenologist at San Pedro for 15 years and received the Chilean wine industry's Al Mérito Vitivinícola award in 1996.
The couple acquired and planted 62 hectares at the mouth of the Lontué River's transversal valley. A specially trained crew harvests individual bunches by hand. The vineyards surround the winery, allowing the grapes to travel a short distance at low speed in shallow 15-kilogram cases.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The vineyard has muddy, clayey soils containing volcanic ash and a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. Ocean and southerly winds meet where the vines are planted, creating morning fog that freshens and protects the grapes. The fog clears around midday, leaving a few hours of sufficient heat for ripening.
The 4.090 range takes its name from the altitude of nearby Volcán Peteroa. The grapes for these wines grow at the volcano's foot.
Wines to know
The range in view
AltaCima 4090 Gewürztraminer Reserva 2019 is entirely Gewürztraminer, while AltaCima 4090 Chardonnay 2019 is entirely Chardonnay.
The 2007 AltaCima 4.090 Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenère Syrah blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Carmenère and 15% Syrah. A contemporary tasting note found herbs, blackberry, toasted oak and plum across aroma and palate, calling the wine fruity but boring.