As part of the celebration of 30 exceptional vintages of its top wine from the Maipo Valley, Casa Real hosted a comparative tasting exploring how Cabernet Sauvignon expresses itself across different regions, climates, and winemaking philosophies, as well as what climate change truly means for the world’s most important red grape variety.

“Global Cabernet Sauvignon Discussion vs Climate Change: Yes or No?” was the title of the masterclass held at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco, led by Casa Real alongside renowned American wine critic James Suckling. The session featured Baltazar Sánchez, President of Viña Santa Rita, and Sebastián Labbé, Casa Real’s Winemaker, who guided a conversation on the evolution of this variety and its expression across different terroirs around the world.

The event brought together influential figures from the wine world, along with leading international wineries such as Château d’Issan, Paul Hobbs (Viña Cobos), Marchesi Antinori and Amici Cellars, positioning the Maipo Valley in dialogue with some of the world’s most renowned Cabernet Sauvignon origins. Attendees explored the identity of this emblematic variety through diverse regions, climates, and winemaking approaches, as well as the challenges it faces on the global stage.

During the session, the 2020 and 2022 vintages of this South American Cabernet Sauvignon icon were presented—wines that are the result of sustained, long-term work built on consistency and a deep respect for origin. Over more than 12 years, this journey has been further developed through masterclasses dedicated to understanding and showcasing the expression of one of the world’s noblest grape varieties, reinforcing its position as a leading benchmark of its kind.

In this context, Sebastián Labbé underscored the central role that origin plays in fine wine today: “Today, the true luxury in fine wine lies in precision, identity, and fidelity to origin. At Casa Real, we are not simply aiming to craft a great Cabernet Sauvignon, but to express, with depth, a specific place: Alto Jahuel, at the foothills of the Andes.”

Today, the main challenge facing Cabernet Sauvignon is achieving full ripeness without losing balance, as climate change has accelerated ripening processes and can jeopardize key attributes such as freshness, tension, and structural elegance. He noted that the origin of Alto Jahuel offers particularly valuable conditions—such as Andean influence, significant diurnal temperature variation, and balanced soils—which enable precise adaptation in the vineyard.

From this perspective, he added that Casa Real does not seek to impose a style, but rather to preserve the identity of the place even as conditions evolve. He further emphasized that adaptation cannot be purely technical: it must also be cultural, ensuring that wine continues to hold a meaningful place at the table, within gastronomy, and in the identity of the territories where it originates.

This milestone further strengthens Casa Real’s international presence and highlights the strength of its terroir in the Maipo Valley within the global fine wine conversation.

About Casa Real

In 1985, Viña Santa Rita set out to create a Cabernet Sauvignon capable of expressing the full potential of the Maipo Valley, inspired by the greatness of Bordeaux wines. After four years of development, Casa Real was born in 1989—an iconic wine that brings together the terroir of Alto Jahuel and Santa Rita’s winemaking expertise.

Its essence comes from a historic 20-hectare vineyard, planted on its own roots with old, massal selection vines, ungrafted, producing grapes of exceptional quality that precisely reflect the richness of Chile’s finest terroir for this variety.

Thanks to this authenticity, it was recognized by Decanter as the first Latin American wine to receive the title of Wine Legend. Since 2021, it has also been one of the first five Chilean wines to join La Place de Bordeaux.