95 points, Wine Advocate
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94 points, Tim Atkin MW
|
92 points, James Suckling
|
About the Wine
Critic Reviews
95 points, Wine Advocate
95 points, Wine Advocate
94 points, Tim Atkin MW
92 points, James Suckling
“The impressive 2018 Escaleras de Empedrado is floral, subtle and elegant, fresh with aromas and flavors of acid berries. It has a textured mouthfeel, with moderate alcohol and amazing freshness. It developed further complexity as the wine sat in the glass, becoming more nuanced with notes of blood oranges and subtle spices and herbs. This is really elegant, with light and inner power, and it has a mineral and austere palate and a very long finish. This has to be the finest vintage for this wine so far, among the best Pinot Noir in Chile. 1,400 bottles were filled in November 2020.”
95 points, Wine Advocate
“The 2018 Escaleras de Empedrado has evolved very slowly since I tasted it in August 2021, and I find it as impressive now as then. In the search for the style, the way, and the character of the place, they went for a more elegant style. They did not produce 2016, and in 2017 they suffered terrible fires, so this is the following vintage after 2015. There was a medicinal twist in this very good and historical vintage for Chile, a year that was not easy. This is the year with the lowest alcohol, 13%, and the pH is also quite low. The wine has a light color and a very elegant profile. This is the most ethereal of all the years, fresh and accessible from day one. The tannins are very fine-grained. This is a very fine and elegant wine. They did a very strict selection of the tanks, where the wine rested after spending 12 months in used barrels, and they ended up bottling only 1,400 bottles in November 2020.”
94 points, Tim Atkin MW
“This is the first vintage of Empedrado since 2015, so it’s good to see the wine back on the shelves after two very challenging harvests. Intense, firm, and well structured, this slate-based Pinot Noir has lots of grip and focus, top notes of pine and wild thyme, and a grippy, meaty finish. 2023-28”
92 points, James Suckling
“Spicy cherries and strawberries, together with some dried herbs and blood orange. Succulent berries on the palate with very smooth, polished tannins. Long and vibrant with an ethereal finish. Drink now.”
About The Winery
Familia Torres, a renowned winemaking family with roots in Spain, has been producing wines for 151 years over 5 generations. Admired and inspiring, Familia Torres seamlessly unites tradition with innovation and follows a sustainable and innovative business model. As founding members of Primum Familiae Vini, a prestigious international association of world-class family-owned wineries, the family is closely connected to people and the land, and leads with energy, passion, and purpose. In 1979, Familia Torres arrived in Chile, marking an incontrovertible turning point in Chilean winemaking. Pioneers in the region, they were the first foreign winery to arrive in the country, kickstarting a new era in the quality of Chilean wines. Embracing the continued pursuit for unique and distinctive wines, Miguel Torres Chile has worked diligently to revive ancestral varieties like the País grape in order to craft identity-driven wines with a sense of history. Over the years, this quest has led to unprecedented wines such as Escaleras de Empedrado, the first Pinot Noir grown on slate soils in Chile, and Manso de Velasco, produced from vines more than 150 years old. An exemplary winery and leader in high-end Chilean wines, Miguel Torres Chile today is under the direction of owner Miguel Torres Maczassek and is built upon by three pillars: organic farming and sustainability, fair trade practices, and innovation.
