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One old, one new... Two of the fine vineyards in the Maule Valley 
The southernmost valley we visited this trip was the Maule. Although this area is not a well-traveled tourist destination, as do other Chilean wine producing regions, it has much to offer both wine enthusiasts and active travelers. The two wineries we visited while there were well worth the trip. We spent two nights at the J. Bouchon winery's guesthouse on their Santa Maria del Mingre estate. Stays at this property, a working vineyard/winery, are available only by special arrangement. (Contact Santiago Adventures for more information.) The Bouchon family has been in the wine business since 1892 when Emile Bouchon arrived in Chile from Bordeaux and settled in the Maule Valley. Table wine was just one commodity the family produced on their "farm" - three estates within close proximity of each other covering about 1,000 acres with frontage on the Maule River.
The younger Julio, our host at the guesthouse, remembers delivering wine to customers in his pick up truck while he was a college student. Now he's in charge of sales for Europe, Russia and Asia.
Julio is a part-time polo-player, avid mountain biker and general outdoorsman. He sees the guesthouse as a retreat for corporate groups or special interest travelers seeking a unique experience in the Mengre countryside where he grew up.
Wine professionals and aficionados are groups he is especially well equipped to host but he also offers active travelers interesting options. There are mountains for hiking and biking, horses to ride and a meadow on the banks of the Maule River for watersports and barbeques.
Groups can ride horses across the mountains, cool off in the river, enjoy an afternoon barbeque accompanied by plenty of wine and beer and then head back to the barn through the vineyard.
There's a horse and carriage and four-wheel drive vehicles so horseback riding is not mandatory.
They also have camping equipment and Julio is thinking of using the lodge as another destination for camping, evening bonfires and the like.
He is passionate about the land and wants others to enjoy it as he does. He's open to new ideas and will gladly try something different. Once he took his Zodiac from the winery to the Pacific on the Maule - a nine-hour trip - to evaluate the tourism options along the way.
During our stay we visited the vineyards on all three estates as well as the winery buildings on the Mengre property. Concrete tanks from the old days share space with stainless steel. Oak barrels on metal racks rest in the original aging room.
One night we tasted J. Bouchon' Sauvignon Blanc in front of the fire in the living room as we chatted about wine and wine making. We also enjoyed other bottles at dinner each night.
The J. Bouchon Guesthouse is the perfect setting for groups seeking an off-the-beaten-path destination.
In 1995 the Count decided to expand his production of fine wines to Chile and after three years of personally inspecting available properties with his longtime consultant Maurizio Castelli settled on this area in the Maule Valley.
The highest quality French grape clones were personally imported to Chile for this project and six years were spent perfecting vineyard location, soil exploration, and winemaking techniques.
Vineyard administrator Cesar Opazo has been with the project from the start. He signed on as a young man without a list of wine credentials but instead a passion for the project and the land. After a year of living and learning in Italy on Cinzano's tenuta and cantina, he returned readt to assume his duties at La Reserva de Caliboro.
This vineyard produces only one wine - its award-winning Bordeaux-style "Erasmo," an organic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The percentages of the blend are at the discretion of consulting enologist, Maurizio Castelli, and Count Cinzano.
We tried it over a lunch of braised beef, Spanish tortilla and salad with Cesar and his wife Valesca in a hacienda near the vineyards. It paired well with the beef but would be a fine wine to sip on an afternoon.
It was a chance to observe country life in Chile at a slower pace. We saw piglets nursing in a sunny field, sheep resting under olive trees, even a young man hunting birds with a slingshot.
The Maule Valley is not dotted with wineries like the Colchagua, Curico and Cachapoal, but if the wineries we visited are any indication, a trip through the rolling hills of this valley is worth the drive.
If you would like information on future tours we are planning, send e-mail to jane@latintravel.com. |
In the late 1990s Don Julio Bouchon, grandson of Emile and current owner of the business, and his son Julio Bouchon Lyon changed the focus of the family winery from quantity to quality and began producing fine wines under the name 
There is also a hunting lodge on the property managed by Don Julio Bouchon, an agronomist who also holds a degree in enology from the University of Bordeaux, that welcomes guests during the March/April hunting season.
On our full day at J. Bouchon we visited 
He took us through the vineyards to the Perquilauquen River which floods the vineyards each year and enriches the soil with minerals and organic matter. We visited the 100+ year-old adobe winery building down the road where the grapes are vinified.
Our days in the Maule Valley brought a break from marathon wine tasting. We especially enjoyed the ride to and from Reserva di Caliboro which is about eight miles off the paved road on a gravel road dotted with small farms and homes surrounded by vegetable and flower gardens.
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