Errazuriz Founders Reserve Don Maximiano

Errazuriz Founders Reserve Don Maximiano is a Bordeaux-style red blend from Chile's Aconcagua Valley, bottled at approximately 14% ABV in a 750ml format. The 2021 vintage earned 98 points from Descorchados 2024, ranking among the publication's Top 10 Red Wines and named Best Aconcagua Red and Best Red Blend.

Quick Facts: ABV: ~14%  |  Origin: Aconcagua Valley, Chile  |  Bordeaux-Style Blend  |  Producer: Viña Errázuriz

Production & Heritage

Viña Errázuriz was founded in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz, and this flagship wine bears his name. The blend is typically led by Cabernet Sauvignon (around 69%), supported by Malbec, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc — proportions that shift with each vintage. Grapes are hand-picked and fermented in small stainless steel vats before maturing for 22 months in French oak barrels, approximately 65% of which are new. The wine's base comes from the Max V vineyard block, planted in 1993 on an alluvial terrace near the Aconcagua River where cooling breezes moderate the warm valley climate. Under winemaker Francisco Baettig, who joined in 2004, the estate has progressively reduced new oak usage and shifted to earlier harvesting, refocusing the wine on fruit purity and freshness rather than heavy extraction.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with concentrated red and black fruits — cherry, raspberry, blackberry — before layering in roasted coffee bean, cocoa, and cassis. Floral nuances and subtle cedar emerge with air, adding complexity to a bouquet that balances ripeness with restraint.

Taste: The palate entry is rich and penetrating, with red cherry and blackberry flavors anchoring the mid-palate alongside blueberry and cassis. Sweet spice notes of clove and a hint of marzipan weave through the fruit, while dark chocolate and savory earth provide depth. The tannin structure is firm but polished, giving the wine an architecture reminiscent of top Bordeaux.

Finish: Long and layered, with lingering dark fruit, cocoa, and gentle cedar. The freshness introduced under Baettig's tenure keeps the finish lifted rather than heavy, with fine-grained tannins carrying the flavors forward.

How to Drink Don Maximiano

This wine is best served at cellar temperature (16–18°C) and benefits from decanting 30 to 60 minutes before drinking, particularly in younger vintages. Its Bordeaux-like structure and savory depth make it a natural partner for food rather than cocktail use. Pair with grilled ribeye steak to complement the wine's dark fruit and tannin backbone, slow-braised lamb shoulder where the cocoa and spice notes find harmony, or aged hard cheeses that echo the wine's earthy complexity.

Best For

• Gifting a serious wine collector exploring Chilean fine wine
• Anniversary or milestone dinners anchored by red meat
• Cellar aging — structured vintages reward five to fifteen years of patience
• Blind-tasting events comparing premium Chilean reds against Bordeaux benchmarks

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Don Maximiano taste like? Don Maximiano delivers concentrated red and black fruit — cherry, blackberry, cassis — layered with roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and clove spice, all supported by firm, polished tannins and a long finish.

How does Don Maximiano compare to Seña? Both wines originate from the Errázuriz estate group and use Bordeaux grape varieties grown in the Aconcagua Valley, but Seña comes from a cooler site and tends toward a more delicate, silkier texture. Don Maximiano is the original flagship, generally richer and more structured, with consistent critical scores in the 92–98 point range.

Is Don Maximiano good for cellaring? Yes — the wine's firm tannin structure, balanced acidity, and 22 months of French oak aging give it strong cellaring potential, with top vintages capable of evolving gracefully over five to fifteen years or more.

Where is Don Maximiano made? Don Maximiano is produced by Viña Errázuriz in the Aconcagua Valley of Chile, one of the country's premier winegrowing regions situated north of Santiago. The core fruit comes from the Max V vineyard block, an alluvial terrace near the Aconcagua River planted in 1993.

What foods pair well with Don Maximiano? Grilled ribeye steak matches the wine's dark fruit and tannic grip. Slow-braised lamb shoulder harmonizes with its cocoa and spice layers. Aged Manchego or Comté cheese echoes the savory earthiness. Dark chocolate desserts complement the wine's roasted coffee and cocoa notes. Herb-crusted rack of lamb plays well against the cedar and floral aromatics.

What sizes does Don Maximiano come in? Don Maximiano is widely available in the standard 750ml bottle format.

Is Don Maximiano worth the price? Don Maximiano positions as a premium Chilean red that routinely competes with wines costing significantly more in blind tastings, particularly against classified Bordeaux. Its 98-point Descorchados score for the 2021 vintage and decades of consistent critical acclaim place it firmly in the fine-wine value category.

Why Don Maximiano?

This is not simply a well-made Chilean Cabernet blend — it is the wine that put Chilean fine wine on the international map when Don Maximiano Errázuriz planted the Aconcagua Valley's first vines in 1870. Francisco Baettig's winemaking philosophy, which deliberately reduced new oak and shifted harvest dates earlier, has sharpened the wine's identity around site-specific fruit expression rather than winemaking effect. The 98-point Descorchados 2024 score for the 2021 vintage confirms that this recalibration has reached a peak, with the wine now balancing Bordeaux-like structure and savory complexity with the ripe fruit concentration the Aconcagua Valley naturally provides. For anyone seeking a benchmark Chilean Bordeaux blend with genuine pedigree and proven aging ability, Don Maximiano remains the reference point.