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Kingston Family Winery Guide

Winery Overview

Kingston is one of Chile’s most exciting newcomers, located in the stylish Casablanca Valley and specializing in producing small quantities of exquisite Chardonnay, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. The first vintage here was as recent as 2003, and the quality now obtained from their cool Casablanca vineyards is staggering. Everything at this estate is about attention to detail, from the meticulous vineyard management to the care given at every stage of the winemaking process. As a result, this outfit is one of Chile’s true garagistes wineries: output is minute by Chilean standards, and there is a total of just over 140ha under vine, with less than a third of the harvest going into the Kingston wines.

However, despite the fact that the first vines at the Kingston estate were planted as recently as 1998, the Kingston family has a long history tied to farming the beautiful lands of Chile. Their journey began in the early 1900s when Carl John Kingston left Michigan in the USA to search for copper and gold in Chile. There, he joined the Cerro de Pasco Company as an engineer, and although he never found his fortune in precious metals, he eventually set up a cattle ranch and farm in the Casablanca Valley. He settled in the western hills with his new wife, Caroline Los Kamp, content to enjoy the Valley’s wonderful climate and pace of life. As the years passed and the next generation came to adulthood, his oldest son, John, returned to Chile to manage the farm after graduating from Harvard, and together with his wife Jane, they raised five children. One of his daughters, Courtney, returned from her time at Stanford University in the 1990s with a bold plan to transform the family estate into a thriving winery. Their first Pinot Noir and Syrah vines were planted in 1998 in one of the coolest sections of the region. The Kingston family set about to prove to the Chilean wine establishment that the Casablanca Valley was not just a good terroir for whites but could produce cool-climate reds of such class and distinction to rival the finest examples worldwide!

Ten years on, that dream has been fully realized; after the first vintage was released in 2003, the wines of Kingston Family Vineyards soon started to attract the attention of critics and consumers, who now eagerly await their allocation of these scarce wines. Unfortunately, only 3,000 cases a year are released of the purest, most elegant reds and whites to emanate from this celebrated region. All show finesse and depth and are beautifully balanced – the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in particular, sing with weight, texture, and elegance – wines that can be enjoyed young but will age beautifully. Their impressive achievement was recognized in 2011 when Kingston was named a Winery of the Year by the Wine and Spirits Magazine – A fitting accolade for one of Chile’s brightest and youngest stars.

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Author

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James lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

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