What an honor to be a part of a small group of friends to experience the newest project from Vik Winery by the always innovating and experimenting Head Winemaker, Cristián Vallejo.
Outside of James Suckling and small group of people, we were the first to taste…Stone VIK.
A wine created by nature and completed by nature. Aged in amphoras outside in a very special natural place, surrounded by trees, and on top of a geologically energized point (confirmed by geologists and other experts).
Sounds a little weird, yea?
Cristián wanted to prove the power of terroir and nature by taking the wine outside of the incredibly advanced facilities of VIK Winery, and put it back where it started in the natural world.
My explanation of this will be rudimentary at best, but understand that this actually feels like a very complicated process of discovery.
It starts with a certain high elevation point on the property where the trees were found to already form a circle. Through testing, it was discovered that there is a fault line that crosses with a water table in the middle of this circle. Here, the ground vibrates with naturally created energy from what is happening under surface as a result of this phenomenon. We all know tree roots communicate with each other, so there is no doubt that these trees formed around this fault line intersection at some point over hundreds of years.
Creation of Stone VIK
It was decided by Cristián to strategically place clay amphoras in a way that would correspond with the shifting of the sun to create lines of light, similar to Stonehenge. The light will form perfect lines on the Summer Solstice, which is on December 21st in Chile. It is here where the aging for Stone VIK happens – among the trees and atop the slight vibration of the earth.
Just as claimed by other winemakers who play music in their cellars, it is this ever-so-slight vibration that helps the wine integrate while it ages, revealing a structurally blended finished product.
The wine is mostly Cabernet Franc (77%), with Cabernet Sauvignon (19%), and Carménère (4%).
Let me tell you that I was absolutely blown away. What an incredibly integrated blend with round tannins, high acidity, and ripe, juicy black fruit. A touch of minerality on the finish that is no doubt from the amphora. No green from Cabernet Franc at all. Just smooth, complex juiciness and structure.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one impressed. James Suckling has already awarded this 2023 vintage of Stone VIK with 98 pts. However, the coolest part is to see how genuinely excited Cristián is about this project. As he should be. It’s an interesting experiment that has proven to be a worthy adventure.
Curious to revisit the wines, and see what is in store for 2024!
Thank you for sharing this wine!
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