Maipo Valley DO

Maipo Valley DO surrounds Santiago in central Chile — the country's most historic wine region and for over a century the source of Chile's most celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon. The valley runs east-west from the Andes to the Pacific, with three distinct sub-zones: Alto Maipo (high alluvial and rocky soils at 600–700 metres, producing the finest structured Cabernets), Maipo Central (the historic estates near Santiago on clay and alluvial soils) and Maipo Pacific (influenced by coastal breezes, producing fresher styles). The unique combination of Andean snowmelt irrigation control, extreme diurnal temperature variation (up to 20°C), low rainfall and intense UV radiation produces Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinary structure, dark fruit concentration and mineral precision. Don Melchor, Almaviva and Casa Real have established Maipo as one of the Southern Hemisphere's premier red wine addresses.