Viña Botalcura

The winery

Viña Botalcura takes its name from the village where it stands, a hamlet in the municipality of Pencahue some 30 km northwest of Talca, near the Coastal Range. In Mapudungun, Botalcura means big stone, and the winery ties that image to its wines. As it tells the story, its origins go back to 1998, when the Waidele family bought the El Delirio and La Porfía estates. The project took shape in 2000, with the meeting between businessman Juan Fernando Waidele and French winemaker Philippe Debrus, and the first wine was made in 2002.

The house defines itself by its search for blends outside the usual mold. El Delirio Reserva brings together combinations such as Syrah with Malbec, Syrah with Nebbiolo or Chardonnay with Viognier. La Porfía Gran Reserva, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Malbec, comes, according to the winery, from a vineyard with vines dating from 1925, on deep alluvial soils. Cayao, the icon wine, is made only in selected years and spends up to three years in new French oak barrels; the 2008 vintage blended Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Carignan and Nebbiolo. The producer also presents its Nebbiolo Special Cuvée as the first made in Chile, and its catalog names the Pecadores and Los Asesinos series and the Codorniz Varietal line.

The winery does not publish visits, tours or a wine shop in the village. Its website only gives business hours of 9:00 to 18:00, a phone number and an email, so anyone wanting to see it should ask before traveling. No restaurant or accommodation is published either. The wines are sold through its online store, almost all in cases of six bottles, and not every line is available at all times. Shipping costs CLP 3,990, with delivery in one or two business days in Santiago Province and direct arrangements for the rest of Chile; it is free on orders over CLP 100,000 in the Santiago Metropolitan Region.