The Chilean Wine industry and Viña Seña will remember January 23rd, 2004, as the day of the ‘Berlin Tasting’. Thirty-six of Europe’s most highly regarded wine journalists, writers and buyers met in Berlin to blind taste sixteen wines - six Chilean, six French and four Italian - from the 2000 and 2001 vintages. Divided by country and vintage, there were three Chilean 2001 wines; three French 2001 wines; four Italian 2000 wines and three apiece from Chile and France from the 2000 vintage.
In an historic decision, established French classics such as Château Lafite, Château Margaux, Château Latour, and Italian cult wines Tignanello, Sassicaia, Solaia and Guado al Tasso were placed by judges a distance behind the two winning wines, both from Chile.
Viñedo Chadwick 2000 from Viña Errázuriz’s was placed first ahead of Seña 2001 and in third place came Château Lafite 2000.
CHIEF WINEMAKER · FRANCISCO BAETTIG
Born in 1969 in Santiago, Francisco joined Viña Seña as Chief Winemaker in 2003. He is an Agronomist Engineer from the University of Chile and obtained a Master’s Degree from the Faculty of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux (Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieurs Spécialisées), through a scholarship awarded by the French government.
Throughout his career Francisco has participated in vintages in France in Languedoc-Roussillon as flying winemaker for Michel Laroche, in Pomerol at Le Bon Pasteur, one of the renowned Michel Rolland’s wineries, and in Sancerre at Chateau de Sancerre, reputed for its white wines. He has also worked in the United States at Hallcrest Winery one of the first organically certified wineries in California also in Argentina for a year and has been on numerous technical visits in New Zealand, France, Italy, Australia, Argentina and United States. In Chile he worked for 4 years as an Assistant Winemaker for Casa Lapostolle before joining Viña Errázuriz.
In recognition of his professional trajectory and the great wines he has crafted, Francisco was awarded the distinction of 2011 Winemaker of the Year, by the Chilean Guild of Food & Wine Writers.
Francisco speaks perfect English and French and his love of airplanes moved him to acquire his pilot license for single-motor planes in 1998.