Chile — wine

Leyda Valley Wine Region

The Leyda Valley is Chile's most exciting cool-climate wine region — a coastal valley 60km southwest of Santiago that receives direct Pacific Ocean influence just 12km from the sea. Established as a serious wine region only in the late 1990s (when irrigation was first brought to the valley), Leyda produces Chile's finest Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from granitic soils under a cool maritime influence comparable to southern New Zealand. The dramatic contrast with Chile's warmer traditional regions has attracted major investment.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Pacific cool influence maintained characteristic freshness; Leyda Sauvignon showed exceptional mineral and passionfruit character.
2022 Outstanding Chilean coastal vintage; granitic Leyda sites produced Sauvignon Blanc of Marlborough-competing quality.
2021 Reliable Pacific valley vintage; cool temperatures maintained characteristic precision across both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
2020 La Niña year brought cooler conditions; lower ripeness in some Pinot Noir but Sauvignon Blanc thrived in the extra-cool maritime conditions.
2019 Fine Leyda vintage; Casa Marín's single-vineyard wines achieved international recognition as benchmarks of Chilean cool-climate wine.