Pandolfi Price

The winery

Pandolfi Price is a family project that began in 2002, when the family arrived at Santa Inés, a farm on the banks of the Larqui River, in the municipality of Chillán Viejo, which already had a dry-farmed Chardonnay planted in 1992. According to the South America Wine Guide, the family had no prior experience in wine and in 2008 brought in winemaker François Massoc. Its producing company is Agrícola Santa Inés, and the name of its main line, Los Patricios, recalls Patricio Price, the family's grandfather. That Chardonnay has been its calling card: the 2010 vintage won a Regional Trophy at the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards, and in 2021 James Suckling included the Los Patricios Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 2018 in his list of the hundred best wines of Chile.

The Santa Inés vineyard lies about 26 kilometers from Chillán, according to the winery's own map, between the Larqui River and the Cauquenes stream. Its plan shows blocks of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Riesling, plus century-old vineyards; the South America Wine Guide estimates some 45 hectares in all, including three of País around 120 years old. The winery describes the 1992 Chardonnay as own-rooted. It also preserves 17 hectares of native forest and since 2020 has had a solar plant that, by its account, can generate more energy than it consumes. It makes three lines: A ti Itata, four-grape blends with at least 12 months in stainless steel; Larkün, named after the Larqui, varietal wines aged on the lees in steel without barrels; and Los Patricios, which ferments and ages for about 22 months in French oak barrels.

The winery publishes no tours or visit prices. The South America Wine Guide says it organizes personalized visits and tastings by appointment, and that wines can also be bought at the farm by appointment, though that guide is undated; confirm by writing to info@pandolfiprice.cl, through the site's contact form or by WhatsApp at +56 9 9511 9985. In the middle of some blocks of vines stands a small tile-roofed chapel, reached by a stone path. No restaurant or accommodation is published, and the site offers quotes for tailor-made events and corporate gifts. Without going to the farm, the wines can be bought in its online shop, from CLP 12,500 a bottle, with shipping from La Serena to Punta Arenas.