For Altair, the Viña San Pedro winery in Chile’s Cachapoal Andes Valley, 2024 is a year to celebrate. With the release of Altair 2021 this year, the winery can now look back over twenty vintages that have earned it a place among the global viticultural elite.
Capturing the character of ancient soils
The terroir of the Cachapoal Valley, with its extraordinary microclimate and diverse volcanic soils, is the foundation of the wines’ quality. In the foothills of the Andes, these vineyards benefit from a cool climate and mineral-rich soils, perfect for crafting complex, elegant wines. According to winemaker Gabriel Mustakis, ‘the diversity of the ancient soils and separate vinification in parcels has allowed us to produce wines with great elegance, unique qualities and a clear sense of place.’
From the start, Altair has focused on five varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc,with as little intervention as possible, to preserve the purity and delicacy of the fruit. Whilst the precise blend can change year on year, each vintage is an expression of the best of that particular harvest in Cachapoal Andes. The wines are refined in carefully selected barrels, foudres and amphorae – each lending different characteristics – along with vessels rarely seen in Chile, such as a rotating Galileo vat and granite eggs.
Altair winemaker Gabriel Mustakis
Looking back on 20 years of adventure
Altair’s success is not just down to deep respect for
