When international wine critic and Master of Wine Tim Atkin’s Chile: Special Report landed recently, we were thrilled to see Enotria&Coe’s Chilean producers and wines receive high scores. In Tim’s words “Chile is making the best and most diverse set of wines in its history, using its array of regions and terroirs as never before.” We couldn’t agree more!

This year’s Chile report, Tim’s biggest one to date, is packed full of fascinating information about the Chilean wine scene; from big hitting facts about how Chile is the fifth largest wine producer in the world to the effect climate change is having on the industry, to more nuanced insights into Chile’s increased focus on terroir and its diversity of grape plantings, alongside observations about evolving styles to meet today’s consumer preferences.

De Martino and Viña Leyda both feature as a "First Growth" Chilean winery in Atkin’s own 1855 Classification style system, and he also rated wines from both wineries highly across the board, with some very positive comments.

Specifically, Atkin cites Viña Leyda’s forward thinking approach to using their different terroirs to influence their wines, and proactively tackle challenges of climate change. And about De Martino, Atkin discusses Sebastian’s quest to explore new terroirs with plantings in the “extreme continental climate” of the Villarrica, akin to Sicily’s Mount Etna and commends the “diversity and complexity of the whites” that they are producing.

Talking about Viña San Pedro, Atkin praised their “very impressive range of top reds” and cited the Altai when discussing Chile’s top end wines.

A special mention goes to our 2022 Fuerza Natural Semillón, Itata Valley which Atkin awarded as the Value White Wine of the Year 2024 – huge congratulations to Elias Lopez!

Interested in reading the full report? It’s available to buy and download on his website.

Wines of the year

Z9246122 | 2022 De Martino Single Vineyard La Blanca Semillón, Isla de Maipo | 96 points
£22.60 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

J427 | 2022 De Martino Old Vine Series Las Cruces Old Vine Malbec/ Carmenère 2022 | 95 points
We currently have the 2021 vintage in stock (J4276121) £28.10 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

Z9256121 | 2021 De Martino Cuvée | 94 points
£96.24 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

J423 | 2022 De Martino Single Vineyard Alto de Piedras Carmenère | 94 points
We currently have the 2021 vintage in stock (J4236121) £23.24 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

K306 | 2021 Viña San Pedro Altair, Cachapoal Andes | 97 points
We currently have the 2018 vintage in stock (K3066118) £50.86 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

B4046123 | 2023 Viña Leyda Lot 4 Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley | 95 points
£14.94 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

K370 | 2022 Viña Leyda Lot 8 Syrah, Leyda Valley | 95 points
We currently have the 2020 vintage in stock (K3706120) £24.55 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

2022 Viña Leyda Origin Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley | 95 points
Coming Soon – September 2024

L320 | 2022 Fuerza Natural Semillón, Hit Wines | 95 points
We currently have the 2021 vintage in stock (L3206121) £17.96 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price

ORDER FROM OUR CHILEAN RANGE

De Martino | Isla de Maipo

De Martino was the first winery to label a wine as a single varietal Carménère, and also the first winery to export Carménère from Chile. Having won the “Winery of the Year” accolade on three separate occasions, De Martino very much sets the tone worldwide for the quality that Chilean wine can achieve.

With three generations of expertise under their belts, De Martino isn’t interested in resting on its laurels. In 2011, winemaker Marcelo Retamal made a concerted push to modernise the style of his portfolio. Tapping into global trends for picking earlier, using only indigenous yeast and avoiding new oak, the De Martino house style has evolved towards elegance and purer fruit expression.

Viña Leyda | Leyda Valley

Casablanca Valley might represent Chile’s first intrepid steps into cool-climate production, but it’s Leyda that took a series of determined, confident strides. Just 14km from the vast Pacific Ocean, the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah planted here express a crispness, minerality and fine-boned structure not found elsewhere in Chile’s viticultural paradise. Under the direction of winemaker Viviana Navarrete, Leyda’s pioneering spirit has continued with single vineyards, along with successful experimentation in the way of different clones and soil types. One of her most exciting endeavours is a single vineyard Lot 4 Sauvignon Blanc produced from a Sancerre clone – the result which is wonderfully elegant and mineral – as a relation of Sancerre should be, with added richness and fine acidity.

Tarapaca | Maipo

A winery with more than 140 years of history situated in the heart of the Maipo Valley using sustainable winegrowing practices.

Viña San Pedro | Cachapoal

In 1865, the Correa brothers set up Viña San Pedro with the intention of spearheading the introduction of Old World grape varieties to the Curicó Valley. Today, this is one of Chile’s most prominent wineries and has continued live up to their heritage by embarking on a joint venture in 2002 to create fine wines. In partnership with Château Dassault in Saint-Émilion, they are based in the foothills of the Andes, where they focus on production of fine wines from Altair and Sideral.

Hit Wines | Itata

This brand new project brings together one of the Spain's finest young winemakers, Elias Lopez and Fernando Almeda, a man with over 30 years experience crafting wines across Chile. Drawing on Fernando's deep knowledge of the different terroirs of Itata, they seek to champion the unsung viticultural heroes of this often overlooked region and give a voice to the ancient vines that inhabit the land. The first vintage, this is something truly exciting from the New world's oldest winemaking area.

Viña Falernia | Elqui Valley

If your acquaintance with the vineyards of Chile doesn’t extend beyond Maipo, Rapel and Colchagua, the Elqui Valley might come as a bit of a shock. First of all, this northern enclave of earth tremors and UFO-spotting really does resemble a valley, running east to west and with a growing population of vines drawing on the vital irrigation of the Elqui River (there’s typically less than three inches of rainfall a year in this arid region).

At a time when Elqui was better known for distilling Pisco and for growing other fruit, Falernia was a true pioneer, led by cousins Aldo Olivier Gramola (who also makes Pisco) and Trentino winemaker Giorgio Flessati. This Italian-inspired revolution has seen the planting of a 320-hectare estate on four sites along the valley, from the sometimes fog-shrouded, low-altitude area near the Pacific right up to more than 2,000 metres above sea level – some of the highest altitude vineyards on earth. This diversity of microclimates and soil types allows for everything from Sauvignon Blanc to Syrah to thrive here, expressing a purity of fruit and freshness that is the envy of many vineyards further south.

Lanya | Central Valley

Lanya is our Chilean entry level brand offering exceptional value for money and is a firm favourite on wine lists by the glass. The Sauvignon Blanc is dry and delicately aromatic, and the Merlot is soft and fruity - both smartly packaged with a recent label refresh. Our partnerproducer is Red & Wines, a business operating since 1934 who offer expertise in producing quality wines within this area of the market.

Los Tortolitos | Central Valley

Los Tortolitos is our alternative label to Lanya in response to the growing demand for good value Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. These wines embody the character of the Chilean Central Valley displaying brilliant freshness and varietal typicity.