The Winemakers and valleys

"Casillero del Diablo is a great representative of the Chilean wine industry and has delivered quality and consistency from its beginnings. One of its secrets is simply the tremendous agricultural and enological work that stands behind the brand".

Marcelo Papa

Technical Director of Concha y Toro

Meet Casillero del Diablo's Winemakers

Marcio Ramírez
Max Weinlaub
Héctor Urzúa
Javier Solari
Javier Villaroel
Sebastian Rodríguez

Marcio Ramírez

Marcio was born in Santiago, Chile’s capital city. He studied Agronomy before specialising in Enology. In 1997 he began at Viña Concha y Toro and would later become a winemaker for Casillero del Diablo.

Marcio currently carries out his work in the Rapel Valley, specifically in Peumo. His hard work and commitment, alongside the extraordinary soil and climate conditions in the region, have allowed for the development of excellent red wines, particularly Chile’s emblematic variety: Carmenere.

Max Weinlaub

After graduate in argronomy at the Universidad de Concepción, Max studied his Diploma in Wine Production at the Universidad de Chile. In 1999 and 2000 he travelled to the United States to take part in the harvest seasons, and would later begin at Viña Concha y Toro in 2000.

At Casillero del Diablo, Max has worked to create wines that reflect the freshness of the coastal regions of Casablanca and Rapel. Particularly noteworthy is the development of Casillero del Diablo’s Sauvignon Blanc.

Héctor Urzúa

Héctor was born in Coquimbo, Chile. His interest in the world of wine began when he was a child, listening to his grandfather talk about different varieties. He also remembers there was always a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon at home to share as a family.

Héctor has a wealth of experience as a winemaker for Casillero del Diablo in the Maule Valley. During this time, he has witnessed how the valley has gained great renown thanks to the quality of the wines produced there.

Javier Solari

Javier was born in Los Andes, Chile. His familiarity with wine began quite young, as a family friend had a small winery in the Curicó region. Given this influence, he decided to study Agronomy and later jumped at the chance to complete his specialisation in Enology and Viticulture.

As part of the Casillero del Diablo winemaking team, Javier is primarily focused on creating white wines from the Casablanca Valley, a region known for its ideal conditions for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and other varieties.

Javier Villaroel

Born in Chile’s capital city of Santiago, Javier graduated as an Agronomist in 1999 and soon after began working at Viña Concha y Toro. In 2005 he accepted the challenge to participate in a new project for the winery in the Limarí Valley.

Since then, this region’s reputation has steadily grown, thanks to the white and red wines that continue to stand out for their elegance and minerality.

Sebastian Rodríguez

Sebastián was born in Santiago, Chile, but his mother’s family lived in a rural area at that time, which is where he had his first contact with the vineyards from when he was quite young.

Currently, Sebastián has dedicated himself to working with different varieties, in particular with Pinot Noir. He has mainly been working with this variety in the Limarí, Casablanca and coastal Rapel Valleys.

Discover Our Valleys

Maule
Maipo
Limarí
Rapel
Casablanca

Located 250 kilometres south of Santiago, Chile, the Maule Valley is Chile’s largest wine region and has tremendous geographical and climatic diversity and versatility. Very rainy winters and warm summers, along with relatively infertile soils, enable the production of very high-quality red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenere.

World-renowned for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon, this valley has a temperate Mediterranean climate with considerable influence from the Andes Mountains. Our vineyards are located near the Maipo River, which is fed by the mineral and oxygen-rich Andean meltwater. These conditions create an extraordinary terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon with tremendous character, delicate aromas, and elegant fruit expression.

Located in the Coquimbo Region, 400 kilometres north of Chile’s capital city of Santiago, Limarí receives cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean. This, paired with the region’s scant rainfall and its unparalleled mineral-rich soils, creates an ideal terroir for bringing out the finest character in varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier.

Rapel is a large valley divided into two internationally acclaimed zones: Cachapoal and Colchagua. The temperate climate with four well-defined seasons combines with a wide range of soil types to give rise to wines of extraordinary quality, particularly in red varieties such as Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, and our emblematic Carmenere.

Especially influenced by the cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific Ocean, Influenced by the cold Humboldt Current in the Pacific Ocean, this valley is also located very close to the coastal mountain range. The mountains’ low altitude allows morning fog to creep in from the sea, moderating the temperatures and creating a microclimate that gives spectacular freshness to white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.