The Colchagua Valley is an important wine producing area in the south of the Rapel subregion of Chile’s immense Central Valley, about 190 kms south of Santiago. Soils vary from sand to loam to limestone, perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon, but there are also pockets of clay that have been yoked to Merlot production and some of Chile’s top Merlots are being made there. The climate is Mediterranean but there is a little less rainfall there than much of the rest of the Central Valley due to a surge in altitude of the Coastal Range between the valley and the Pacific.