There has been serious investment in replanting and expanding the vineyard area at Santa Rita over the past decade, with the estate adding a further 20ha dedicated to Casa Real. But has the winemaking process shifted under Labbé’s steer? ‘I am very respectful of the origins and style of Casa Real and do not want to change that,’ he says. ‘There has been some fine-tuning: we now use around 75% new French oak versus 100% before. We have also made changes with berry selection, using an optical sorter now, which gives us greater control. I want to look for infusion rather than extraction, and to be a little gentler on that front.’

What was clear during a tasting of 11 vintages conducted at the estate was that these are wines with very good ageing potential. We tasted an unofficial first vintage of Casa Real, the 1986, that was never commercially released under the label. It was remarkably alive and fresh for a wine of that age. The latest release, the 2020, demonstrated the subtle changes in winemaking; it clearly has excellent ageing potential but, even at such a young age, was approachable and enjoyable. While Chilean wines might not be renowned for their longevity and ageability, Casa Real seems to have the structure and concentration to do so gracefully.

A move to sell the wines on La Place de Bordeaux was announced in 2021, and last year the 2019 was successfully released, marking 30 years of Casa Real. ‘This was something that Ricardo Claro dreamed of,’ says Santa Rita chairman Baltazar Sánchez; ‘for Casa Real to be considered one of the great wines and to be available to wine lovers all over the world.’

Read on for tasting notes spanning from an unreleased 1986 Casa Real prototype to the 2020 vintage.