VINA AQUITANIA
In 1984 when Bordelaise winemaking royalty, Bruno Prats and Paul Pontallier, went on a quest to establish a high quality, terroir driven, completely new winery, they looked to Chile. The duo, from Chateau Cos d’Estournel and Chateau Margaux respectively, partnered with a shared friend, the Chilean winemaker Felipe de Solminihac.
Felipe, as fate would have it, had already given such an idea serious thought, and knew exactly the place. In the foothills of the Andes, at Quebrada de Macul in the very heart of the Maipo Valley, Aquitania was established. In further humourously unintended homage to Bordeaux and the wineries of Pessac, Aquitania has become surrounded by the sprawling city of Santiago and now exists as an oasis of viticulture within the urban landscape.
In 2002 another partner joined the project; Ghislain de Montgolfier from Champagne Bollinger, becoming, as he puts it, the fourth Musketeer.
Some thirty years on, Vina Aquitania are internationally recognized as one of the leading standard bearers for top Chilean wine. Their flagship, the Lazuli, is a Cabernet Sauvignon that continues the winery’s legacy of Bordeaux-styled wine expressed from New World origins, with the full range now including the likes of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
