We took some time to interview Agustin F. Huneeus about his family’s Primus wines from South America in advance of his TasteLive event on March 9th event at California Wine Merchants in San Francisco. Primus has produced a red blend for more than 15 vintages and this year the family is launching a full line up of four red wines, including Primus The Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Malbec.
Here’s a snippet of our conversation.
Q: What is the History of Primus?
A: We introduced Primus as Veramonte’s top red blend with the 1996 vintage. At the time, it was labeled as a Merlot, but as many Chileans had suspected for a long time, most of the Merlot we had planted in Chile was actually Carmenère. So, it very quickly became a blend and was no longer labeled with a variety. In 1998, we introduced Primus as a red blend, put Carmenère, among the other varietals on its label, and launched it in a package that is somewhat similar to the package today.
Q: Was anyone producing blends from Chile at that time?
A: There were very few producers importing red blends from Chile at that time, and of course most of the wines in the US, from the US, were still varietally labeled at that time. But, my father had been a champion of some of the new world’s most successful blends — crusading that the vintage and the place matter more than the varietal. He created Franciscan’s Magnificat, Estancia Meritage and, of course, Quintessa. So, he was very proud to introduce the same concept from Chile — that place and the vintage’s best wines allowed the winemakers to show their very best.
Q: What was the blend typically?
A: Primus was typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenere — every year the varietals would change. In the last several vintages, we also started including some fantastic Syrah from our vineyards.
Q: When did you decide to add new varietals to the Primus line up?
A: In 2005, we purchased a beautiful new property in the Colchagua Valley, one of Chile’s premiere red-grape, warm-climate growing areas. This was a very important step for us which really allowed us to grow the kind of quality we knew we were looking for in the Primus blend. We planted the ranch to Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and a little bit of Syrah. This became the foundation for some interesting things ahead. With the strength of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon in the US and our own estate vineyards, it was only natural that we would eventually release a Cabernet Sauvignon, which we did a small amount with in 2008 and 2009.
Also, because we were now able to get the consistently ripe, delicious quality of Carmenere from the ranch that allowed us to release the first varietal Carmenere my family has ever produced from Chile, in the 2010 Primus Carmenere.
Q: And why Primus Malbec? How does that fit?
A: Like most Chilean winemakers, my family has always been interested and involved in what was going on in Argentina. We started in earnest back in 2006 with a small project with a friend of ours, Carlos Pulenta who owns the Vistalba Winery in Mendoza. Every vintage was really well received, got great scores and as we decided to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère to Primus we realized that our Malbec, given its profile and the strength of the category, would fit perfectly.
Primus is a brand with awareness and a long history of quality ratings and distribution in the market and with these new varietals, Malbec just worked. Our goal is to produce big bold wines with distinctive character from both sides of the Andes.
Q: Tell us what makes the winemaking distinct?
A: Because of Chile’s economic advantage and our arrangement with Carlos in Mendoza, Primus employs winemaking techniques identical to Napa Valley’s top Cabernets and blends: Yields are managed to 2-3 tons per acre, all of the grapes go through a meticulous double sorting process, and the wine is fermented in stainless steel or concrete fermenters, then aged in partial new French and American oak and aged for around 18 months. Now, what’s not the same as Napa? The price. We’re looking for a unique profile of rich, dense fruit, and long textured finish to deliver big wine quality and satisfaction in each of these wines.
Q: Tell us more about Carmenère?
A: Primus showcases the rare Carmenère grape, once widely planted in Bordeaux in the 1800’s, but nearly lost forever to phylloxera. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Chilean winegrowers determined the mystery vine was not Merlot, but the lost Bordeaux grape Carmenère. Since then, the wine industry has been quick to recognize that Carmenère is to Chile as Shiraz is to Australia and Zinfandel is to California—a grape with a heritage that will put both Chile and Carmenère on the map.
What we love about Carmenère is its density, velvety texture and softness. As long as it’s planted in a place where it achieves full ripeness, it is tremendous.
Q: Who is the winemaking team for Primus?
A: Primus' winemaking is led by Rodrigo Soto, who is from Chile but spent more than 6 years here in the US working with the Benziger family and Alvaro Espinoza, one of Chile’s top consultants who joined the team in 2006 to craft Primus. Alvaro brings tremendous experience with some of Chile’s best red wines, along with his organic and biodynamic viticultural and farming knowledge and extensive experience developing vineyards throughout Chile. Rodrigo and Alvaro closely with our vineyard teams to continually refine vineyard and winery practices that deliver rich ripe fruit with complexity, intensity and distinctiveness — qualities that we hope define the Primus wines.
Q: What does the name Primus mean?
A: Primus means “First Among Equals” The name references my father’s vision to position Primus as one of Chile’s first Bordeaux Blends, and its pioneering position at the forefront of Chile’s quality wine revolution that started in the 1990s with investment from some of the wine world’s most respected international families and companies.
Q: Tell us about the new Primus Package?
A: Primus bears a distinctive, new label that reflects its South American heritage with medallions on each of the varietals that reflect symbols of the native people.
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