Description

PRODUCER:
Viña VIK was established by Alex and Carrie Vik in 2004, who had a vision to create worldclass vineyards, producing exceptional wines. After two years of scientific research, they acquired 4,400 hectares in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Millahue, in the Cachapoal Valley. The name Millahue, translating to “Place of Gold” in Chile’s indigenous language, aptly captures the essence of their chosen location. With a dedicated team of winemakers, climatologists, geologists, vine growers, and agronomists, they meticulously developed an exceptional terroir and planted 327 hectares of carefully selected varieties. Winemaker Cristian Vallejo follows a minimal intervention approach, with hand-harvesting and natural fermentations to ensure each wine showcases this outstanding terroir and his wines are elegant, voluptuous, complex and balanced. Viña VIK took the top spot as the Continent Winner: The Best Vineyard in South America 2025, in the Top 100 of the World’s Best Vineyards Awards.

VINEYARD:
Situated within the valley’s interior, the vineyard benefits from a rich tapestry of diverse terroirs and microclimates. Each parcel features unique exposures, tempered by coastal breezes, which intricately crafts complexity in the resulting wines. The vineyards are planted across 12 small valleys, totalling 327 hectares. More than 6,000 soil analyses were conducted to match clonal selection of rootstock and varieties. The soil types include colluvial, alluvial, sand, clay, and gravel stone, each imparting a distinctive characteristic to the resulting blend. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes for this wine come from the Los Lazos and Los Mieros plots where they are planted at a density of 7,000 vines per hectare, with three bunches per vine. 50% of the vineyards are massale selection and 50% are from carefully selected clones. The vines are sustainably cultivated and hand-harvested at night to retain freshness.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes were carefully sorted and vinified in the gravity-fed cellar. Fermentation took place with wild yeasts in small, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks of 15,000 litres, followed by malolactic conversion. The wine was aged in French barriques for 26 months in a combination of used barrels, recycled barrels and ‘barriques’, barrels that were made at the VIK winery.

VINTAGE:
2019 was a relatively cool year: the cold spring and average summer temperatures facilitated the rapid ripening of tannins that are crunchy and dynamic. Then autumn was cool, and so the ripe fruit was very expressive, dark-coloured, enigmatic and profound.

TASTING NOTE:
Elegant, silky and complex, with captivating aromatic intensity and freshness. The ripe, expressive fruit flavours are layered with violet and spice through to a lasting finish full of finesse.

GRAPES:
Cabernet Franc 23%, Cabernet Sauvignon 77%.

AWARDS:
• Top 100, Wine Merchant, 2025
• 94 Points, Wine Spectator, 2024
• 95 Points, Drinks Business, 2024