In 1988, Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite took ownership of the los Vascos estate. Los Vascos means the Basques. It was so named because of its origins which are Basque. When he took over the estate, it covered an area of 2200 hectares. 220 of these had vines. Domaines Barons de Rothschild chose Chile after he had done much research regarding the best places to create the best local wines. To make this work, there were numerous visits to different properties; there was also extensive wine tasting before los Vascos was chosen.
Los Vascos has exceptional soil, and it is near the ocean. The weather conditions are also ideal, and the region has intense sun exposure. The water supply is adequate, the risk of frost is minimal, and the soils are semi-arid. This region is a few kilometres from the pacific, and its microclimate makes it one of the best places for wine production.
With the new team, new investments have been made. The vineyard was restructured. Over the years, water sources have been added with boreholes, and there is a weather station within the vineyard. The bodega is now modernised and enlarged to meet requirements for maturing and vinification.
In the late 2000s, there was a new dawn in winemaking because the vines had already matured. That, combined with the terroirs knowledge acquired over two decades, helped to engineer the approach in winemaking and the vineyards. Drip irrigation has been adopted to help grow even more grape varieties bringing more possibilities.
Los Vascos early intuition was driven toward producing fine wines. Los Vascos is more confident with the terroirs. The pioneering spirit is still alive. To pursue excellence, time and passion are key. In the foothill regions, there are plots with great potential, and plans are being made to engage in more planting projects to help meet the demand.
