Hereu Tinto Syrah/Malbec/Carignan 2007

The Estate

Founded by Norwegian shipowner, Dan Odfjell, in a corner of the Maipo Valley, Chile’s premium red wine producing area in a microclimate created by soothing, coastal breezes. Odfjell are committed to progressive vineyard management, using no artificial pesticides or fertilisers and are dedicated to raising the image of viticulture in Chile. Low yields are an essential part of their philosophy. Dan’s son Laurence has designed a unique gravity flow system in the winery, enabling extremely gentle handling of the grapes and wine. Run by an international team of winemakers: Californian vintner Paul Hobbs, resident winemaker Arnaud Hereu from Bordeaux and Marcela Garate from Chile. A passion for wine and an uncompromising search for excellence unite the team. We have witnessed this excellence first hand on a recent visit and believe Odfjell wines to be amongst the most innovative and excitingly different to come from Chile. ‘One dimensional’ they are not: they will delight the discerning who want to move away from the stereotypical Chilean styles prevalent on the Irish market.

The Hereu Wine

As the wine industry in Chile continues to mature, a new aspect is emerging: the ‘garage wine’. These are high quality, expensive and produced in very small quantities. Characterised as a ‘winemaker’s wine’, they often receive very high ratings and are sold at prices driven high by rarity, hyperbole and fashion. This is one such wine made by Arnaud Hereu, a Frenchman from Bordeaux, the winemaker at Odfjell who says “with these wines I would like to celebrate the sense of tradition coming from my European roots but also tribute to Chile”.