Terroir characteristics

The vineyards are located on the La Higuera estate in the Morros area of Alto Maipo. These are on sloping land at the foothills of the “Los Ratones” mountains on the western side of the Andes mountain chain, at an altitude of 600m.a.s.l. In the base sector, the soils were formed by alluvial build-up of volcanic and intrusive origin; likewise, breccia and lava from the high mountains were swept along, by the intense erosion of what is now the Maipo River. This part has a larger level of sand and lime and, in some areas; the stones are more rounded as a result of the dragging action of the river. The higher area, at the foot of the mountain, has alluvial soil, composed of material directly influenced by the mountain chain, made up mainly of pyroclastic lava and tuffs produced by volcanic activity during the Late Cretaceous period (70 million years ago). In this area, there are a great number of irregular rocks of fine lime and clay texture. Soils of this type, with thicker textured profiles (gravel, sand, fragments), enable the vines cope better with high temperatures and retain moisture. These also provide good permeability, drainage and the capacity to resist hydric stress. Above all, greater metabolic activity in the plant results in polyphenols of optimum ripeness and complexity, leading to wines with great structure and character. There is significant thermal variation during the ripening period, where the maximum average Tº goes up to 29-31ºC, and the minimum average temperature is 9-10ºC, this helps to obtain grapes with a perfect phenolic maturation. The average rainfall is 270 mm.

max Temperarutes between 29 y 30°C & minimum between 9-10°C

270mm yearly average