Limarí Valley and the wines of Tabalí

The majority of Chile's premium wine producing regions are found in the central portion of the country. From Aconcagua to Bío Bío, the wine we typically drink rarely comes from the northern climes. Maipo is famous for its premium Cabs, Ledya is fast gaining a reputations for its scintillating Sauvignon Blancs, Carmenere is finding a home in Colcahagua and the coastal range of Peumo and Apalta while Chardonnay is excelling in the Casablanca Valley.

But the north is a different story.

A LITTLE HISTORY

In Chile's distant past, before the Spanish, the Limarí was home to the various indigenous tribes of South America. The Incas, the Diaguita and Molle controlled the low hills and hotter, arid plains of the region. Whereas wine played a central role in the religious traditions of the European conquerors, hallucinogens such as peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) were commonly used in the rituals of these peoples (and reportedly still are today).

It was the Spaniards in the 16th century who first developed pisco, the brandy of South America. Peru, Chile and Bolivia continue to make this aromatic brandy using Moscatel (Muscat). But for the most part, when you mention Chile's north, table grapes and pisco have been the first thing that comes to mind.

FRANCISCO DE AGUIRE

Not oddly enough it was a pisco cooperative by the name of Capel that set up the first winery in the valley. Capel, in association with private growers, founded Francisco de Aguirre in 1993, a bodega that would become the Limarí's primary wine producer for over a decade. 

Mind you, the wines were hardly above average and only exciting to the extent that somewhat decent wines were actually being produced in the north. But what is important is that the company established the first structured foothold in the region. Francisco de Aguire's winery and vineyards were eventually bought out by Concha y Toro in 2005 after years of financial difficulties.

LIMARÍ VALLEY AND CONCHA Y TORO

With Concha y Toro's takeover, the Limarí Valley has made some excellent progress. The wine giant is notable for its dedication to quality and has taken several detailed surveys of the coastal zone where the majority of international varieties are grown. 

On the positive side, the Limarí experiences a longer growing season than regions in central Chile. Whereas wineries of Maipo and Colchagua might bring in the harvest in early April, winemakers have noticed that remarkable vintages have been a result of May harvests. 

Tabalí winemaker Yanira Maldonado regards this as a plus. Just think of a slow roast, how complexity and character are imparted to one's cooking. The same could be said with the grapes. 

The wines also don't require acidification, a norm in Chilean winemaking practiced by those in Aconcagua and Central Regions of Chile. (In acidification, acid, tartaric typically is added to wine to adjust the ph levels.)

On the downside, there is a risk of oidium (aka powdery mildew - a fungus that attacks the green parts of the vine) caused by the humidity found in the morning mists. The other challenge is the soil, much of which is heavy clay. Vines need water but too much can be a substantial problem. 

Tabalí has been able to counteract the clay problem by irrigating less, allowing the soil to dry.

TABALÍ

The winery is owned by both San Pedro (another wine giant) and Agrícola y Ganadera Río Negro - Guillermo Luksi, who also owns Río Negro not to mention a brewing firm with his family business, the Luksic Group, sits on the board of San Pedro. With these two big guns, it is unlikely Tabalí will be able to repeat Francisco de Aguire's previous problems.

The advantage Tabalí has had is not only on the financial end but the age of their vines. Between 1993 and 1998, Jacques Lurton, a French wine consultant was then working with San Pedro and advised the company on certain plantings. By 2002, the vines had matured to the point that San Pedro decided to bottle the wine under the new Tabalí label.

TASTING NOTES

Tabalí Reserva Merlot D.O. Limarí Valley 2006

Varietal Merlot in Chile happens to be one of my favourites (amongst others). When I drink a Chilean Merlot I feel it compares well those of Washington and California as well as France. 

Gordon Stimmel of the Toronto Star gave this wine 90+ points (he said it  was easily worth $30 dollars). However, he rated the wine back in April of 2009. As much as this wine was mocha and vanilla, the flavours were muted and flat for me - the wine had either gone back to sleep or was on its way into decline (I would suggest the latter). I still got the blueberries and this wine would definitely pair with steaks but at this point, the wine no longer lives up to the hype. 

Tabalí Reserva Carmenere D.O. Limarí Valley 2007

Compared to the Merlot, this wine was fresher and firmer (and a year younger which probably makes an obvious difference). Immediately I got the black fruit, the roasted herb, the sweet pepper and chocolate. 

Wine and Spirits gave this varietal Carmenere 89 points back in June of 2009. The wine still has a pulse, a solid backbone made of good acidity and gentle tannins. From the tip of my tongue to the finish, the wine covered all the bases and I would recommend it over the Merlot. This is the wine to bring home for roast beef sandwiches, for deli platters and lasagna.

Bibliography
Richards, Peter, The Wines of Chile. Mitchell Beazley, London 2006. 

Robinson, Jancis (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2006.

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Santa Carolina - Quality on the Rise

For many wine buyers, sometimes it makes sense to buy the cheaper wines. 

Santa Carolina's introductory line of varietal Cabernets, Sauvignons, and Chardonnays are an  especially easy purchase. They're easy to drink and easy on the wallet. The fruit is good, the quality reasonable.

But when it comes to the Reserva line, it's harder to justify a purchase. 

SANTA CAROLINA - HISTORY

Like many Chilean wineries, the firm's roots begin in the nineteenth century.

The winery was first founded in 1875 by Luis Pereira Cotapos in Macul in what is now central-eastern Santiago. When the city expanded, the firm gradually sold off vineyard land to accommodate the capitol's rise in population. Over time, this left the winery with one estate in Maipo and vineyard lands in Cachapoal and Colchagua with a presence in Casablanca via the subsidiary of Viña Casablanca.

The firm's headquarters remain in downtown Santiago while the majority of vinification takes place in Colchagua and Curicó. 

Today, Santa Carolina is owned by by the food and drink group, Empresas Watts (formerly Empresas Santa Carolina) which also owns Finca el Origen in Argentina.

SANTA CAROLINA - A FEW PROBLEMS

Peter Richards notes in The Wines of Chile that Sanata Carolina "lost its way during the nineties." 

The main problems  came from a lack of investment in the vineyards and the infrastructure. The winemakers for the longest time depended on a basic wine making approach, using formula instead of innovation to shape their wines. Many of their techniques remained old-fashioned, severely out-dated compared to major players like Concha Y Toro and Santa Rita. 

From poor irrigation systems to shoddy oak handling, the resulting wines lacked fruit, character and complexity. Something had to change.

A NEW MILLENIUM

In 2004, Santa Carolina finally fell under new management. An investment plan came into the works and by 2005, two new head winemakers were put in the driver's seat at both Santa Carolina and Viña Casablanca. 

Sven Bruchfeld, now head at Santa Carolina knew he had no time to waste and with colleague  Andrés Caballero and viticultural consultant Pedro Izquierdo, they took a backward glance at previous vintages to see what they needed to do. 

Going through Santa Carolina's wine library, the trio discovered some "descent stuff" but for the most part, the lack of quality disturbed them. New policies were put into place. They found new coopers to craft their oak barrels. They bought small, unused vinification tanks and installed them with temperature control. They also revamped their vineyards, urging the growers to pick later in the season to ensure more sugar and bigger flavour.

The 2006 vintage marks the beginning of Bruchfeld's innovations. He knows it will take time, maybe five years at the most before consumers will note a difference in Santa Carolina's wines. The following wines are on the way to success but the road is a bit bumpy.

TASTING NOTES

Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua 2008

After doing my research, I now understand why I had always been a little indifferent to the winery's Reserva line. I had the 2007 vintage last year and found it solid but lacking in character. It reminded me too much of the basic Cab. The 2008 vintage is good but I too found it a little muted. There are notes of red currants, green pepper with a nice smoky herbal touch. Sadly, I had a strange feeling this wine had already hits its peak.

Santa Carolina Reserva Merlot Colchagua 2008

The Merlot has a stronger varietal character compared to the Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon. Taking a sniff, I right away got lush notes of blueberry, chocolate and coffee. On the palate, I found the wine to be also muted but with a gentle richness. The wine was especially smooth. Unlike the Cabernet, the wine survived the next day. 

Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere Rapel Valley 2008

Of the three varietal Reservas, I found this wine the most appealing. Carmenere is not an easy wine to make but when it is grown in the right conditions and harvested at the right time, the variety can offer consumers a delicious alternative to Cab or Merlot.

The 2008 Carmenere is a pleasure to drink with rich cherry, roasted herb and a light vegetal/earthy note. The wine has more going for it but like the others, suffers from a restraint in character.  

Overall, I liken these wines to the different stages of waking up in the morning. Whereas the Cab is still blinking its eyes and yawning, the Merlot is making coffee, while the Carmenere is the brightest and most alive of the three.

Bibliography
Richards, Peter, The Wines of Chile. Mitchell Beazley, London 2006.

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Cono Sur - Big on Value and the Environment

until the barrels were filled with wine

and let the obscure man learn,

in the ceremony of his business,

to remember the earth and his duties,

to propagate the canticle of the fruit.

 - Pablo Neruda - Ode to Wine

Wine isn't completely recession proof. It's true, consumers continue to purchase wine but when it comes to Quality versus Quantity, Quantity becomes the crowd pleaser in down times (when your dollar has to stretch, why buy one bottle for twenty dollars when you can buy two?).

But considering that the recession might be on the way out, it's still easy to buy the cheaper wines, especially when they offer good value. 

And that's why I continually applaud Chile.

LISTEN TO THE EXPERT

In Peter Richards' exceptional and accessible The Wines of Chile he writes:

"Cono Sur, is for my money one of Chile's best wine producers, exemplary not only in its quality but also value, diversity, and ambition."

Peter Richards is a name you can trust. A young but world-renowned expert in South American wines, he has written and judged competitions for Decanter as well written numerous and informative books for Mitchel Beazley, the wine connoisseur's publisher. 

CONO SUR and CONCHA Y TORO

Cono Sur is part of the Concha Y Toro group (which also includes: Emiliana, Trivento in Argentina and Almaviva, a jount venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild). 

Set up in 1993, Cono Sur's main focus is to bring something unique to export markets. The image of the bicycle on their wine labels signifies the winery's dedication to the environment. In 1998, it first adopted its integrated pest management practices, followed in 2000 by further attempts to create a sustainable vineyard approach. By 2005, about 60% of  their vineyards were regulated under these new management systems. 

Also, Cono Sur is the first winery  in Chile to use screw caps for export wine, a trend readily followed by other Chilean producers.

ADOLFO HURTADO

Cono Sur sources fruit from as far north north as Elqui to Bío Bío in the South, with about 1,000 hectares of vineyards under ownership. Concha Y Toro also helps with the supply. The main man who brings it all  home  is Adolfo Hurtado.

Hurtado acts as both head winemaker and general manager. He only wants the best for himself and his winery, preferring the pursuit of quality over settling for the safe, mediocre mainstream. Along with his vineyards holdings, he has additional connections with local growers and independent vineyards helping to boost the quality, character and depth of Cono Sur's wines.

CONO SUR - THE WINES

"Perhaps Cono Sur's strongest, most dynamic offering is in its whites. Its basic Viognier is a striking statement of intent, great value for money and with excellent varietal character in a balanced moreish package."

- Peter Richards, The Wines of Chile

This is one of my favourite value Viogniers (if not the only - Viognier can be quite pricey in the Rhone and less than exceptional when it is below the twenty dollar mark in California). I've had this Cono Sur Viognier from various vintages and they have yet to disappoint. My latest bottle was snagged by my brother who finished it before I had chance to write a review... thankfully I was able to sneak a few sips in to provide a tasting note.

Cono Sur Viognier Colchagua Valley 2009

A lovely apricot and peach melon melody with additional notes of candy tropical and banana. Excellent with Pasta Primavera dishes and pork. 

 Hurtado: "The lesson we learned from Burgundy was that to make good Pinot Noir in Chile we had to do everything different from how we'd done it until then." Pinot Noir remains a challenge in South America. But so far the challenge has paid off. Some of the best Pinot Noir is sourced from fruit in Leyda on the western coast, Casablanca in the Acongua Region and from Bío Bío in the south. For consumers looking for a tasty alternative to the dill-like Oregon Pinot or the fully-fleshed California Pinots of Carneros, let alone the expensive Pinots we find in Central Otago New Zealand and here in Ontario, Cono Sur is your answer.

Cono Sur Pinot Noir Central Valley 2009

True to its varietal profile, this Pinot offers everything you can expect: sour cherry, earthy notes of raspberry with a nice hint of mulberry. Excellent with turkey and lamb dishes. 

"...Pinot Noir remains Hurtado's primary focus. His basic varietal is a delight - sourced from cool-climate sites around the country including Bío Bío, it is balanced, fresh, and with good varietal character..." - Peter Richards.

One of my favourites offered by Cono Sur's introductory line is the Merlot. Now for those new to Chilean wine, at one point Carmenere (Chile's flagship variety) and Merlot were not truly distinguished until late in the twentieth century. This mean a lot of Carmenere was mistaken for Merlot. See my Cinderella Story of Merlot.     

Merlot is Chile's second most planted variety but has been known to under-perform compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape can be a bit heat-stressed in Chile and there are other issues: dehydration, sensitivity to soil-related problems and flavour and colour fading in the latter part of the season. 

But worry not, grape growers have been working hard to rectify the problem.

Cono Sur Merlot Central Valley 2008

This wine is seductive, to say the least. Supple blackberry, boysenberry and wild berry with a delicious  chocolate-vanilla charm. This wine is a dream on your tongue.

Bibliography
Richards, Peter, The Wines of Chile. Mitchell Beazley, London 2006.

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The World of Chilean Wine

Chile has become synonymous with affordable quality wine. Buying a decent, sometimes excellent Cabernet Sauvignon for ten dollars here in Canada is quite easy. If you happen to go up the price scale, a twenty dollar Chilean wine is more often better than a forty or fifty dollar counterpart in California.

But why is this?

CHILE - INTRODUCTION
If a wine is difficult to make, this will effect the cost. In Germany, especially in the Mosel where vineyards are planted on steep slopes - making grape picking a hellish and sometimes dangerous venture - the price of Riesling  is affected by the geography and the labour involved.

Chile, by contrast, is a 'viticultural heaven'.  Sometimes compared to the Mediterranean and California, the vineyard land here is ideally isolated by the Andes Mountains to the east, the Pacific on the west coast,  the extensive Atacama desert to the north and the Antarctic south. Variations in altitude and exposure create variations in local climate while the Humboldt Current, a cold wind current moving north-westward up along Chile’s coastline helps moderate temperatures. In addition, there are few if any truly treacherous slopes here.

So what does this mean for the grapes? Well, varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc can thrive in cooler areas (namely the coastal sub-regions), attaining natural acidity while Cabernet Sauvignon, which grows throughout the country  (half of all reds varieties planted) can take on different nuances depending on where it is cultivated - in the warmer valleys or further up the mountains.

Along with the Andes (which also contributes irrigation water when the snow melts) and the ocean, there are strikingly few diseases and pests which cuts down the need for chemical sprays and treatments. This and the cost of vineyard land and labour is also cheap compared to other countries. 

The result: Chilean wines  are  relatively affordable.

CHILE - HISTORY  "There is more history than geography in a bottle of wine" - Jean Kressman, French Vignoble

But what makes the wines here so great? Let's take a peek into Chile's history. 


Before the conquest of European settlers, much of Chile was inhabited by several tribes. In the 15th century, the Incas invaded the north followed by the first wave of Conquistadors arriving in the early 16th century. European traditions soon followed and wine, playing a large part in religious and social life came along for the ride. Émigrés from Spain set up homes and managed estates – the disenfranchised indigenous underclass became their new slave labour.

In the 17th century, Spain attempted to undermine Chile's wine export trade with few results. Throughout the 18th century, Chilean wines competed with their Spanish counterparts and were fairly inexpensive.

Conquistadors 'rule and punishment'

By the early 19th century, revolutions in North America and France gave rise to a wave of immigration inspiring a much need and very important shift towards planting quality European vines (before this much of the wine was made using the low-quality País or Misíon grape). Chile, recently independent of Spain began to experiment in the vineyards and many of Chile’s most famous wineries were established: Cousiño Macul, Concha y Toro, Undurraga, Errázuriz, La Rosa, Santa Rita, Carmen and San Pedro. Exports took off, production rose and Chile experienced its first wine heyday.

The Twentieth Century would prove rocky for the blossoming wine industry. Two world wars, an economic crisis and of course, the September 11, 1973 coup, overthrowing the Allende government led to a rough road towards success and quality. Domestic consumption virtually plummeted.

By the 1990s, the transition back to democracy smoothed things out and prestigious French and American investors came on the scene followed by the rise of flying winemakers. 

CHILE - REGIONS
Over time, it was discovered that certain areas were ideal for European varieties while others were suitable for producing jug wines. 

There are in total four regions (Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Central Valley and Southern) but only two that contribute to Chile's quality wine industry.

ACONCAGUA REGION

The Aconcagua is named after the highest peak of the Andes at 23,000ft (7000m). The region is made up of two sub-regions, the warmer Aconcagua Valley itself and the cooler Casablanca Valley. The former is famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, while the latter is best known for being the ideal place to grow Chilean whites.    

Errazuriz - first founded in 1870

The Casablanca's presence in the world of winemaking is a relatively recent phenomenon.  In 1982, Pablo Morandé, a winemaker for Concha Y Toro first began to explore the valley’s potential. The area was considered too close to the Pacific and too far from the Andes. With a bit of time, innovation, the valley soon developed with dozens of working wineries producing award-winning Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Pablo Morandé - modern wine explorer

The Leyda Valley is a sub-region often considered part of Casablanca. The Sauvignon from here is crisper, complex with zesty herb and citrus notes. The wines can be especially complex with roasted grapefruit and nettles.

THE CENTRAL VALLEY REGION

If you love Chilean reds, the bulk of your favourites will most likely be sourced from the grapes in the Central Valley.

The region is comprised of the most famous wine-producing sub-regions of Chile.

Maipo, just south of Santiago is synonymous with world-renowned Cabernet Sauvignon and the most famous in Chile.

Rapel, divided into the Cachapoal and Colchagua areas is widely planted with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Within Colchagua, Apalta has a reputation for fine Merlot, Carménère and Syrah. The Los Vascos winery, in which Chateau Lafite-Rothschild has an important stake resides here.

 
Curicó Valley was put on the map by the Torres family of Spain in 1979. It is made up to two different mesoclimates. Towards the east, around Molina and just north of the Claro river, it is relatively cooler due to the breezes from the Andes; in the west, the Coastal range shields the ocean influence resulting in a warmer, comparatively hotter climate.

And finally the Maule, an area formerly known for the País grape and providing bulk wine, it has become home to quality Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, the skies are cloudier thanks to the Pacific influence although it is hotter and drier than Bío-Bío in the south.

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