Pitched along a row of hills which extends south from the Maipo River, the Perez Cruz Vineyard has always been high up on our list of vineyards to visit.
Perez Cruz is a family owned winery which only produces red wines. Its Liguai vineyard is heavily influenced by the rocky soil of the Andes, which lie just behind the foothills that surround their vines. They focus on producing great quality wines and a good price, but the tasting is only part of the reason why we visit.
Just setting foot in their winery is an experience in itself. Using woods from the south of Chile they have built a state of the art structure which mimics a wine barrel, and allows them to keep the facilities cool (no a/c except in the barrel room) even during the hot summers and sun which shines down on their estate.
They have also stayed true to what they can produce at the vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Cot, insisting on the French name for the grape instead of the wildly popular Malbec from Argentina. It is good to be different they say.
The vineyard remains under the ownership of the Perez Cruz family, and their winemaker is German Lyon. Their wines have received plenty of recognition and many, from their simpler reserve line on up, have scored 90+ according international and Chilean panels and critics like James Suckling, La CAV and Wine Enthusiast, to name a few.
In “places we visit” we give a sneak preview in to some of the interesting destinations, venues, restaurants and attractions which we include in our programs and tours, including a bit of the story which draw us to them in the first place.