Cousiño-Macul

Founded by Mathias Cousiño, it was his son Luis who travelled to France in 1860, just before the outbreak of Phylloxera, to purchase vines: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Pauillac and Margaux; Sauvignon Blanc from Martillac in the Graves; and Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Today Viña Cousiño Macul is considered a '1st growth' of Chile. The original estate can be found amidst the extensive recent house-building on the southern edge of the city, and has several avenues of English oaks in formal gardens, which look surreal against the Andes. Although steeped in history, with bottles in the cellars dating back to 1927, this forward looking company has a modern, state-of-the-art winery in the middle of its vineyards near Buin in the southern Maipo valley, now called Alto Maipo. Particularly strong in Cabernet Sauvignon based reds, it is their top blends like Lota which have reinforced the quality and ageworthiness that Chilean wineries need to demonstrate to compete on the world stage.