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NEW RELEASE: THE STUNNING LAS PIZARRAS 2023’S AT A 30% REDUCTION

NEW RELEASE: THE STUNNING LAS PIZARRAS 2023’S AT A 30% REDUCTION

Posted by Mark J, Brookshaw on 25th Mar 2025

We are delighted to announce the release of the Las Pizarras Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah 2023. This release comes at a 30% discount on the 2022 vintage at a compelling £195/6 IB. The Chadwick family are extremely conscious of the current trading conditions its customers and consumers are facing and want to support everyone to ensure its followers get to drink and enjoy this fantastic 2023 vintage.

“The more Chilean wines I taste, the more I’m convinced that the coast is where readers will find some of the country’s most distinctive wines” Joaquin Hidalgo – Vinous

“…The latest set of Las Pizarras bottlings is outstanding...” Matthew Luczy – Wine Advocate

KEY FACTS:

Heritage & Philosophy: Since 1870, Viña Errázuriz has focused on selecting the finest land, grapes, barrels, and techniques to craft world-class wines.

Coastal Pioneers: In the early 2000s, Eduardo Chadwick led Viña Errázuriz to become the first Chilean winery to plant vines in Aconcagua Costa, near the Pacific Ocean.

Exceptional Terroir: A five-year soil study by renowned French geologist Françoise Vannier-Petit revealed rare metamorphic rock with high slate and schist content—ideal for fine wine production.

Las Pizarras Collection: Recognized as Chile’s top coastal wines by major critics.

2014 – First vintage of Las Pizarras Chardonnay & Pinot Noir

2017 – First vintage of Las Pizarras Syrah

Unique Vineyard Conditions: Located 12km from the Pacific Ocean, benefiting from cooling breezes. Schist soils and ‘laminar’ metamorphic rock (Las Pizarras meaning ‘slate’ in Spanish)

Small, high-quality ‘Grand Cru’ plots producing wines of complexity and elegance.

blog-mar-01.jpgLAS PIZARRAS CHARDONNAY 2023

“The 2023 Las Pizarras Chardonnay represents another benchmark iteration of this bottling. It fermented and aged in 300- and 400-liter barrels, with 12% being new, and it underwent partial malolactic conversion. It opens with a crystal-clear nose of stone fruits, white flowers and citrus zest, enlivened by an oceanic freshness. On the palate, it perfectly balances vibrant energy and textural breadth, culminating in a snappy, energetic and focused finish with impressive length—a definitive example of contemporary Chilean Chardonnay”.

96 Points, Matthew Luczy, The Wine Advocate, March 2025.

KEY FACTS:

  • 2023 is the tenth vintage to be released | Alcohol: 12.5% | pH: 3.09.
  • HARVEST: 20th of February - 1st of March. Picking early morning to ensure fruit arrived at the winery at low temperatures. Aged:11 months in 400-liter French oak barrels, 12% new and 10% second use.
  • 3 Individual coastal plots. Handpicked in small parcels, rigorous selection, vinified separately. Approx 1700 cases made.

WHAT'S NEW:

  • Harvest 5 days later than average. Longer ripening gave more concentration. Fruit was pressed 100% whole-cluster, and fermented in French oak barrels, staying in contact with its lees for 6 months (compared to 4 months for the 2022). Only 35% of the blend underwent malolactic fermentation. This delivered more texture and breadth on the palate, whilst retaining the hallmark freshness and vibrancy of the wine that is unique to its location.
  • Cooler weather in the ripening season has enhanced the aromatics giving a very floral nose of citrus blossoms. Its great PH will ensure it ages beautifully.
  • Plot 39 (see map) is the ‘mother block’, the main heart and soul of the blend, which always delivers the best and most complex fruit. This plot is extremely influenced by ‘Las Pizarras’ - the slate rock from which these wines take their name - which is very close to the surface. The vines go directly into it producing its hallmark salinity. South facing and therefore cooler & the sun does not hit it directly in the afternoon. The unique weather seen in 2023 with foggy mornings, made this an exceptional vintage for the Chardonnay as the afternoons saw mitigated heat.

Direct from the winemaker – Tomas Muñoz: “2023 shows a balance through aromatics on the nose and texture on the palate. We are very proud of this; it is a result of learnings of past vintages. We are focusing on giving more fineness to our Chardonnay without losing the vibrancy, so we increased the time in contact with the lees from 4 to 6 months, being careful not to stir the lees too much to avoid compromising the delicate fruit and floral aromas which are the great characteristic of this wine".

blog-mar-02.jpgERRAZURIZ LAS PIZARRAS PINOT NOIR 2023.

“The 2023 Las Pizarras Pinot Noir opens with a high-toned, expressive nose of cherry blossoms, dried flowers and cured meats with a touch of smoky reduction. The palate is a pleasing combination of broad, silky and refreshing, lined with lively acidity that carries through the tensile, saline and delineated finish. The precision and focus on display across the board make for a benchmark expression of Chilean Pinot Noir. It fermented with a dollop of whole clusters and was aged in 25% 400-liter barrels, 55% of which were new” 

96 Points, Matthew Luczy, The Wine Advocate, March 2025.

KEY FACTS:

  • 2023 the tenth vintage to be released. Alcohol: 13% | pH: 3.34
  • Harvest: 20th of February to 10th of March. Small open stainless-steel tanks to ferment (2% whole-bunch). 60% of the fruit underwent cold maceration between 8° and 10°C for 2 to 3 days before fermentation with a total maceration time from 11 to 20 days. Aged 12 months- 300 and 400-l French oak barrels, 55% new, 45% used barrels
  • 3 Individual plots. Handpicked in small parcels, double selection, vinified separately.
  • Heart of the blend is from the ‘mother block’ 32 (see map) which holds the perfect location - Slate closer to the surface here only a few cm below. Coolest sector in the whole vineyard. Approx 1600 cases made

WHAT'S NEW:

  • Lessened the whole-bunch in 2023 and had a cooler fermentation - giving a purer crystalline fruit lead expression and immense elegance.
  • Cooler months of Jan/Feb, long and slow ripening. Giving juicy concentration, beautiful aromatics and brightness.
  • Clone 777 used for Pinot Noir, known as the 'Dijon' clone originating from Burgundy. It suits the terroir of the site, showing the power and beauty of the grape perfectly.

Direct from the winemaker- Tomas Muñoz: “Pinot Noir is a challenging variety to handle. The focus was a pure and poised aromatic expression of fresh red cherries, rose petals and rosehips with a hint of sweet spices, paired with a juicy mouthfeel and chalky tannins. 2023 shows an enhanced floral layer due to an even ripening with foggy mornings. This is one of the best versions of this wine made”.

blog-mar-03.jpgERRAZURIZ LAS PIZARRAS SYRAH 2023

“The 2023 Las Pizarras Syrah stands out as one of Chile's most aromatically exotic and intense examples of Syrah, beginning with an alluring bouquet of black fruits, grilled meats, incense, sandalwood and purple flowers. The palate is exceptionally dense, concentrated and taut, culminating in a lifted, multidimensional finish that strikes a midpoint between rich, savory and refreshing. Similar to my experience with the 2022 iteration of this wine, the nose here continuously evolves, revealing an increasingly floral and perfumed complexity. It fermented with 15% whole clusters and matured for 16 months in 60% French barrels and 40% Austrian foudre”.

96 Points, Matthew Luczy, The Wine Advocate, March 2025.

KEY FACTS:

  • First vintage – 2017 | Alcohol: 13.5% | pH: 3.39 | Approx 1000 cases made | Harvest: 21st of March – 3rd Of April. Small open stainless-steel tanks to ferment (15% whole-bunch). Skin contact -for 7-12 days depending on parcel. Aged 16 months, 50% Stockinger foudres, 40% new French oak barrels, remaining 10% in used French oak.
  • 2 Individual plots. Handpicked in small parcels, double selection, vinified separately.
  • Very shallow soils, 50cm shist topsoil to weathered slate and large gravel stones. The weathering of the slate increases the cracks and fractures, allowing the vines to develop a strong root system. Gives wines minerality, velvety tannins and freshness.

WHAT'S NEW:

  • The best vintage to date. In the last three years they have been finetuning style profile: Floral expression, aromatic fruit, expressive, pure and elegant. Hints of spice wrapped in a fine structure.
  • Adjusting the oak aging to keep purity of fruit but adding complexity and balance. Hints of black tapenade give the depth, the foudres give less oxygen keeping the bright freshness and acidity making it very gastronomic.
  • Whole-bunch enhances the floral profile and gives a fine tannic structure.
  • Always picked one month later than Chard/PN - The weather patterns in March and April helped as warmer, the plots are north facing which helped retain the heat and ripened the Syrah beautifully.

Direct from the winemaker- Tomas Muñoz: “For our Syrah we believe that the best expression is the seductive floral and fresh black fruit notes with a vibrant acidity and polished tannins. 2023 shows a fantastic aromatic intensity and complexity due to a long and slow ripening period. For me this is the best vintage of Las Pizarras Syrah so far”.

blog-mar-05.jpgVintage Report - 2023

"2023 was an outstanding season made possible with some unique weather formations, leading to a cooler later start and a long and gentle ripening period. This delivered bright and energetic wines; true expressions of the vintage, that retain the tantalising minerality and refreshing salinity. The hallmarks of this special wines." Tomas Muñoz, Winemaker 

The winter provided much needed water; they saw 17% more rain than normal which was vital in filling up the natural water reserves in the soils. The metamorphic rock which Las Pizarras sits atop is like limestone - its great at absorbing water, allowing the vines roots to reach deeply into the mineral rich soils passing even more moisture, complexity, and texture to the grapes through very healthy vines. This well-developed root system enabled the vines to take in sufficient water during the more demanding times of the day and the high Magnesium content of the soils, which is like calcium, delivered the salinity and citrus acidity. Ultimately, this meant the fruit was of very good quality and balance. The coolness also delayed bud break, pushing the growing season two weeks behind coming into the Summer. They then saw the perfect heat spike in December allowing for long warm days of even ripening.

February was an important and magical month and one that shows off the exceptional location these wines are made in. They experienced cooling morning sea fogs, which were pulled in-land down the funnel of the valley, protecting the vines and grapes. The perfect cooling effect to preserve acidity and the delicate floral aromas we see in the wines. The fog isolated the vines from the suns heat, giving shorter exposure and reducing temperatures. Running into harvest, which was one week later than normal, this effect allowed for slower gradual ripening, enabling the grapes to retain their fruitiness, acidity, aromas, and colour. Tomas explained this natural phenomenon that was unique to these vineyards in 2023, “When you have warmer temperatures in-land, a natural cool fog occurs on the coast and is sucked in, almost like a vacuum, down the narrow valley creating a cooling effect and protection. unnamed.jpgWhilst the afternoons had enough temperature to get the best ripe fresh fruit with delicious tannins. This vineyard is a ‘Sanctuary’ as this occurrence was only seen on these isolated vineyard plots and has helped deliver these outstanding results.” Due to these conditions harvest was one week later than normal.

“The fruit was very special in 2023, that was all down to this exceptional location and unique terroir. It crafted wines that have a great balance between texture and tension, with beautiful aromatics, svelte tannins and vibrant, pure fruit, each displaying the individual DNA of these special plots. I believe these wines will evolve beautifully and show the best that Aconcagua Costa can offer.”  Tomas Muñoz Winemaker