I have only met the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild once in Mouton, although her heart has always leaned towards Clerc Milon. It was around a lively conversation at the table, very lively even, because the baroness did not give her place, by her energy and her flamboyant gestures which contrasted with the place, to relax the atmosphere, but above all to talk to you of its beloved wines. A great lady, with a strong character to whom it was dangerous, even to confront herself, although the oratorical joust always ended in a good-natured atmosphere.
With the determination of her own father, Baron Philippe, who died in 1988, a visionary man who was in no way afraid of challenges, the lady decided to make the leap to Chile in 1996, breaking the Bordeaux mold to export its know-how, at a time when the American critic Robert Parker Jr. is at his zenith. It was also the time of an extraordinary effervescence of Chilean wines, which shone then because of their unavoidable quality/price ratio, but without however – apart from a few family houses such as Concha y Toro and Errázuriz -, delivering the makings of great vintages. Philippine de Rothschild and her team would fill this void by establishing a partnership with the Concha y Toro house by marketing in 1998 the Almaviva cuvée from a 60-hectare vineyard near Puente Alto in the Maipo Valley, where the king cabernet sauvignon finds his happiness there. And ours.
This first foray was followed by the creation in 1999 of the Bodega Baron Philippe de Rothschild Chile, 45 kilometers south of Santiago, with its own 60 hectares of vineyard. The Bordelais Emmanuel Riffaud is then put to work there as oenologist and soil engineer, this last expertise being to reflect the strategic heart of the wines of the domain, including Escudo Rojo (Red coat of arms in Spanish for “Roth Schild “) as well as the flagship cuvée Baronesa P., in memory of the baroness, are worthy illustrations of this.
A quilt of microplots
If the expertise is Bordeaux, the context here is Chilean. Emmanuel Riffaud’s role is that of observer, binder and assembler of micro-plots, whose expression and harmony of the quilt vary significantly depending on the vintage offered. “We have a majority grape variety here, Cabernet Sauvignon, but also several styles, all worked like a grand cru,” announced the man during a videoconference last week.
“Due to a much wider ripening window than in Bordeaux, i.e. 4 to 5 weeks here compared to 10 to 12 days in the Gironde, it is imperative to find compromises between aromatic, physiological and phenolic maturities. » A step-by-step journey which is reminiscent of the successive sorting operations carried out in the Sauternes region. Because, you guessed it, whether through microlots (depending on the terroir variation) and bunches, whose berries are themselves endowed with an often variable heterogeneity of maturation, we aim to draw here, with an almost surgical precision, the best advantage of the situations offered.
The house obviously has the means to match its ambitions. Not to mention that Cabernet Sauvignon has no secrets for her. We have to admit that the result is clearly emboldened in the cuvées whose signature is already distinguished by its balance, its elegance, its freshness and its digestibility, in short, a league away from these rich, dense and clumsy Chilean reds. offered at another time. Not to mention that, tie your tuque well with a bicycle brooch, Escudo Rojo Gran Reserva is brazenly displayed under the $25 bar!
Red Escudo 2011. The Cabernet Sauvignon (38% of the blend), completed with Carmenère, Syrah and Cabernet Franc, confirms a vintage at the height of its expression after a decade in the bottle. This is also, in my opinion, the time limit of the Escudo Rojo cuvée. Broad, seductive, harmoniously spicy bouquet and fine palate, with appreciable length. (5) ★★★ 1/2
Red Escudo 2013. Net and precise fruitiness on the palate more substantial, fresh and finely enveloped. (5) ★★★★ 1/2
Red Escudo 2017. We’ve gone to 44% of the blend in “old” Cabernet Sauvignon here, in a warm vintage and a set back acidity that offers a more melted profile. (5) ★★★
Red Escudo 2018. A stylistic milestone has been reached with this 2018 that is as racy as it is flamboyant. Emmanuel Riffaud chisels his expertise here even more. (5) ★★★1/2
Red Escudo 2019 ($23.05 – 15068551) Cabernet Sauvignon (43%) and Carmenère (39%) take the lead by purifying this very coherent cuvée endowed with relief, freshness and fine texture. (5) ★★★1/2
Baronesa P. 2019 ($65.75 – 15064736) The 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and the princely breeding endow this cuvée (on renewal at the SAQ) with a deep sap smoothed by exceptionally silky tannins. Long finish with notes of graphite. (5+) ★★★★