Cañeten, an icon wine from the foothills of Chile’s coastal range
Viña Los Vascos unveils Cañeten, its new flagship born from two decades of exploration in Colchagua’s coastal
foothills. Crafted from a singular site through precision viticulture, Cañeten is a vibrant and
contemporary wine that reflects a deep connection to place, and confidence in the future of Chilean fine
wine.
Los Vascos Estate from top of Cerro Cañeten. Nicolás Amaro, 2025.
Two decades exploring the foothills
Where mountain and ocean collide
From the granite hillsides of Chile’s coastal range, Cañeten
emerges as the most refined and site-driven expression yet from
Viña Los Vascos, the Chilean estate of Domaines Barons de
Rothschild Lafite.
The outcome of years of observation and uncompromised
commitment, this wine reflects a deep connexion with the land.
“Following our intuition, we started exploring the hills around
Mount Cañetén in search of new expressions for our wines.” says
Olivier Tregoat, Technical Director. Twenty years of listening to
the land, exploring planting trials, and tasting the best grapes
from exceptional plots have shaped the vision of a wine that truly
reflects the identity of these foothills”.
At the heart of the project is La Aguina vineyard, cradled between
two ridges and overlooked by Cerro Cañetén—the highest peak
of the coastal mountains of Colchagua.
These ridges form a crescent-shaped arc, marking the southwestern
boundary of Los Vascos and sculpting the area’s unique landscape,
mesoclimate, and biodiversity.
The site was selected following an extensive research program
which involved digging hundreds of soil pits and carefully selecting
plant material before the vineyard was finally established in 2013.
Climatic conditions here are unique.
Cerro Cañetén shapes the vineyard’s microclimate: morning mists
drift inland from the Pacific, condensing into a fog that blankets
the vines before lifting with the rising sun and southwest winds.
The Cañeten Effect. Nicolás Amaro, 2025.
T he "Cañetén effect" maintains vital tension in the grapes
and preserves their aromatic complexity. Meanwhile,
abundant sunlight and wide diurnal temperature shifts,
typical of the Entre Cordilleras region, allow for optimal
phenolic ripeness of our Syrah and Cabernet.
A living terroir, rooted in biodiversity
The organically managed vineyard of La Aguina lies within a
mosaic of native forest and grassland, where coastal and Andean
species converge. Among its rarest inhabitants is the Tahay
(Calydorea xiphioides), a fragile bloom emblematic of the site’s
microclimatic uniqueness.
Revealing the terroir : from vine to cellar
Each intra-plot selection is carefully managed and harvested with
a clear focus on developing high-quality polyphenols (aromas,
tannins, and pigments) directly in the vineyard.
In the cellar, winemaking is precise and restrained. Plot-specific
fermentations are carried out in small vats with gentle extraction,
followed by aging primarily in 4,000-liter foudres to preserve
purity and site expression. Only a small fraction of the wines,
those showing the greatest depth, balance, and finesse are selected
for the final blend, resulting in a limited production.
“Cañeten is a vibrant, terroir-driven wine, rich in aromatic intensity,
with layers that unfold gradually, without overpowering oak or over-
extraction,” explains Maximiliano Correa, Chief Winemaker.
“Its lush texture is supported by lively acidity and a well-defined
tannic structure, ensuring exceptional evolution over time.”
From initial plantings to strict intra-parcel selections across eight
distinct plots, Cañeten is the result of precise viticulture and
winemaking.
“The entire Los Vascos team is deeply committed to the Cañeten
project,”says Philippe Rolet, Estate Manager. “Through careful
observation of each vine and every decision in the vineyard, we
captured the true essence of our terroir.”
The Spirit of the land
The spirit of Cañeten is captured on its label, illustrated by Chilean
artist Claudio Romo in a woodcut style, accompanied by a short
poem to evoke the Lira Popular, a 19th-century Chilean form
of verse and illustration rooted in land, myth, and identity. Its
emblem is a monster in the original sense of the word: a hybrid
being born of elemental forces and human hand, animated by a
free spirit as untamable as the land itself.
La Aguina, vineyard at the foot of Cerro Cañeten. Nicolás Amaro, 2025.
Cañeten marks a new chapter for Los Vascos. “A wine that
breaks the conventional codes of Chilean iconic wines, Cañeten
embodies both
future of Los Vascos,”
concludes Saskia de Rothschild, Executive Chairwoman.
the present and
the
About Viña Los Vascos
Established in 1760 in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, Viña Los
Vascos has been under the stewardship of Domaines Barons
de Rothschild Lafite since 1988. Its vineyards, set within
a 3,600-hectare ecosystem, are tended by local families
across generations. A certified B Corporation, Los Vascos
is committed to its land and rural community—cultivating
today to sow the future.
