The Rapel Valley lies with the Pacific Ocean to the West, to the east the Andes Mountains, and to the south the province of Colchagua. The climatic characteristics of this valley include frost-free springs and warm summers that allow the grapes to ripen well. The Rapel Valley viticultural zone is located in Chile’s 6th Region, approximately 160 km (100 mi) south of Santiago and includes the sub-valleys of Cachapoal and Colchagua. The entire zone presents good drainage, high fertility, and tremendous agricultural aptitude. Its climate is sub-humid Mediterranean because the low, even hills of the Coastal Mountain Range to the west allow the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean to penetrate the valley and moderate temperatures. It is highly influenced by the Pacific anticyclone, which results in a concentration of rainfall during the winter months. Precipitation averages 710 mm (28 in) per year. During the summer, the southern and south-western winds result in an ample temperature variation between daytime highs and night time lows. The maximum temperature in January reaches 32ºC (90ºF) and the annual average is 14ºC (57ºF). The grapes that went into this wine were handpicked in April, when the fruit had reached the desired level of ripeness. The fruit came from vineyards that are more than 22 years old the Totihue estate in Alto Cachapoal and the Los Pretiles estate in Alto Colchagua. The vines at both estates are vertically positioned and yield an average yield of 9 tons per hectare. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts in our Maipo Valley winery. The process was carefully managed to maintain temperatures at 15º–17ºC (59º–63º), with gentle aeration and delicate lees stirring to reach the desired results. The wine was fined with bentonite and cold-stabilized before bottling to prevent tartaric precipitations in the bottle.
