Wine guide
Vina Von Sibenthal
Martin Luther King was not the only one to have a dream. Swiss lawyer and weekend oenologist Mauro von Siebenthal had one too. While his dream was not quite as famous as Dr. King’s, it was nevertheless very worthy: to produce an elegant wine in the new world which would eloquently express the characteristics of the Valle de Aconcagua terroir.
Instant attraction
A man of fine tastes, fate led Mauro to the Aconcagua valley in the late 1990s when he was on holiday in Chile. Having made a lot of money, the idea of leaving the rat race was calling louder than ever, and Chile seemed to tick a lot of boxes. Could he afford it? Tick. Were parcels even for sale? Tick. Could he make premium wines, with long barrel ageing that would be credible in the fine wine arena? Tick, tick and tick.
Like many love stories, the effect was immediate and by the time he returned to Switzerland, Von Sibenthal had already purchased his first parcel of new world terroir. Acquiring parcels and planting them took place over the next few years and in 2002 - four years after he first set eyes on Aconcagua, Vina Von Sibenthal released his first vintage, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Carmenère called Montelig. Aged for 25 months, the wine received good reviews, if not the stellar performance scores he was hoping for.
Like many love stories, the effect was immediate and by the time he returned to Switzerland, Von Sibenthal had already purchased his first parcel of new world terroir. Acquiring parcels and planting them took place over the next few years and in 2002 - four years after he first set eyes on Aconcagua, Vina Von Sibenthal released his first vintage, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Carmenère called Montelig. Aged for 25 months, the wine received good reviews, if not the stellar performance scores he was hoping for.
Toknar
That all changed with the birth of Toknar, a 100% Petit Verdot grown on the stony, granite slopes. Toknar revolutionised the idea that Chilean wines did not age well, au contraire, the 26-months spent in French oak barrel, followed by four years in bottle lay the foundations for at least a decade of further ageing. The early vintages of Toknar (2005 and 2006) are impossible to find on the secondary market. Very few who were allocated some of the 5,000 bottle production thought to keep it for investment purposes and those who did have almost certainly already sold it on. However, we all know that investing fine wine is a waiting game, and miracles do happen particularly in the new world, you just need to be willing to pay for it.