Basalt soil, criollo horses, 57,000-litre oak foudres and a 19th-century winery. Tannat and Merlot grown where the winds of the Río Uruguay shape every harvest.
Chacras de las Cañas is one of Uruguay's oldest wine estates. Its vineyards grow on basalt soil — volcanic rock that drains rapidly and forces roots to push metres deep in search of water, producing grapes of exceptional concentration.
The Río Uruguay and the constant winds of the riverbank moderate temperatures with a precision no viticulturalist could engineer. The result: wines of vivid acidity, deep colour and an earthy minerality that speaks directly of the basalt from which they were born.
Roberto Cipresso studied the soil inch by inch before selecting the clones. The trenches he excavated revealed a geological profile unusual for South America — and the reason why Chacras de las Cañas Tannat is unlike any other.
Explore membership plans
The basalt soil at Chacras de las Cañas is millions of years old. Its porous structure drains excess rainfall and creates a controlled water stress that concentrates sugars, anthocyanins and aromas in the grape like few soils on the continent.
Unlike the clay soils found elsewhere, the basalt of Paysandú yields more structured tannins, deeper colours and a bottle longevity that rivals the world's finest Tannats.
The Chacras de las Cañas winery houses 57,000-litre oak foudres — monumental ageing vessels in use since the 19th century. They are part of Uruguay's winemaking heritage and still work today, integrating Roberto Cipresso's wine within their centuries-old wooden walls.
The winery architecture is living stone with wooden ceilings, maintaining a stable interior temperature without artificial climate control — 19th-century passive engineering in service of 21st-century viticulture.
www.chacrasdelascanas.com
The DNA of Uruguay. On basalt soil it produces its most structured and long-lived tannins on the continent. Raspberry, cassis and spice with an unmistakable earthy mineral finish.
The perfect counterpart to Tannat. Fresh plum, cocoa and a velvety texture that balances the power of basalt-grown Tannat. Essential in Cipresso's blends.
The white of the riverbank. Citrus, white peach and orange blossom with a stony minerality that sets it radically apart from the Albariños of Rías Baixas or Galicia.
Inside the estate, within the historic stone building, there is a two-room boutique hotel. Living stone walls, wooden ceilings, absolute silence and the vineyard just metres from your bed. The most exclusive accommodation in rural Uruguay.
Being an Oria member means access to three exceptional terroirs. Uruguay is closest to those based in Argentina, Brazil and the River Plate region.
