Another of the excellent tasting events organised to mark Eduardo Chadwick’s Decanter Man of the Year 2018 award was an exciting and rare Vinedo Chadwick retrospective vertical tasting in London attended by top journalists and the who’s who of the European fine wine trade.

The vineyard around the Chadwick family home had produced outstanding red grapes for decades and it was Eduardo Chadwick that recognised the potential of this unique terroir and persuaded his father to convert his beloved polo field into vineyards, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1992.

Located at 650 metres altitude at Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley, this 15 hectare vineyard is considered one of Chile’s best terroirs.

Vinedo Chadwick Vertical 1999 to 2015

Vinedo Chadwick 1999, 14 Abv.

94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Carmenere aged 18 months in 100% new French oak. Supremely old Bordeaux style, this has all the hallmarks of classical Cabernet with sweet tannery hide, tobacco, leather, sweet earthy black currant and complexing clove spice. Lush, meaty and dense, this wine shows wonderful depth, tension and classy Cabernet Sauvignon intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2003, 14 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 100% new French oak. Brûléed, opulent, dense wine with complex notes of polished mahogany, black plum, brûléed black berry and dark cherry kirsch liquor intensity. Super ripe, plush and fleshy, this has the opulence of a warm vintage with a gravelly, mineral edge that confounds the senses. A super block buster.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2006, 14 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 100% new French oak. More evolved and tertiary, the 2006 has pronounced notes of black plum, molasses, sweet chew tobacco and tar. The palate is tarry, saline and focused, but also very much in the riper flavour profile. With a slightly blocky, chunky finish, this wine is still a bit monolithic.

(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2009, 14.5 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Dark dusty Cabernet nose with chalky brûléed black berry notes, creamy cassis, lush liquorice depth and opulently hedonistic. Warmer vintage, this has great power and character, but also great harmony and balance. Intense concentration, great silky high quality tannins, lovely expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2010, 14.5 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 95% new French oak. Chalky dusty gravelly nose, there are multiple aromas of sweet cassis, salty plums, black berry and a slightly rooty edge. The palate is plush, fleshy and fresh, but quite punchy and opulent finishing with a restrained, mineral, graphite, cassis leaf reserve.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2012, 14 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 90% new French oak. Showing more youthful, brûléed blackberry tones, this wine seems to have a more reserved Cabernet tone with chalky tannins, violets, cedary spice and a ‘lamb and mint sauce’ savoury complexity. The pitch perfect balance is definitely there with the archetypal Vina Chadwick precision. A real beauty.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2014, 13.5 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 75% new French oak. Started with a difficult season with big frost damage but with the secondary growth still able to yield around 40% (5000 bottles) of a normal crop, followed by a hot summer and cool ideal Autumn. The nose is plummy, chocolatey and lush with dried herbs, sweet cassis and a really pronounced salinity. Wonderful purity, intensity and precision, this wine oozes class and breeding.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Vinedo Chadwick 2015, 13.5 Abv.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 73% new French oak and 15% in Stockinger foudre. Deliciously opulent nose of sweet cassis, roasted herbs, roasted lamb fat, violet perfume and a subtle mineral, graphite edge. Ultra plush and generous on the palate, this wine has no edges but is sublimely harmonious and seamless. Superbly elegant, fine and distinguished, this screams class. Delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)