Carta Vieja is a family owned, family-controlled estate located in Chile's Maule Valley. Although established is 1825, this property only began to market wine under its own brand name in 1985, having provided grapes to other leading Chilean wineries for most of its history. Now managed by 7th generation Alberto del Pedregal, Carta Vieja owns a substantial estate of 1,235 acres and produces estate-bottled varietals in their modern winery. Since Chile is free of the root louse phylloxera and most vine diseases, the healthy, productive life of its vines is far longer than in a country using grafting rootstocks. Some of Carta Vieja's Cabernet vines were planted over 100 years ago and still yield a small, but rich crop! Their vineyards are planted at 2,000 feet above sea level in the heart of the transversal Maule Valley, which runs east to west from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean. With hot summer days and very cool nights and extraordinary clear, luminous skies, the grapes achieve a perfect balance of sugars and acids. The Carta Vieja Sauvignon Blanc is a light, fresh and crisp wine while the Chardonnay is deliciously clean with a touch of lemon. Merlot is ripe and flavorful and Cabernet Sauvignon is dry but not tannic with a touch of red currants. There is also the Reserve line from the Potrero Grande vineyard in Villa Alegre- Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet -all barrel-aged selections. Carta Vieja offers truly amazing value and the integrity of a family-run estate.