by Manos Angelakis

At this time, I believe that Chilean wineries have the best prices in the US market for high quality to exceptional quality wines than any other country in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Casablanca Valley is 32 kilometers west of Santiago on the road to Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, and Chile’s Pacific Coast. The day we arrived at the Veramonte winery, morning fog was bathing the entire valley ensuring a cool, slightly humid day. It is because of the Pacific Ocean breezes and the morning fog keeping the valley cool, that some of the best cool-climate varietals, especially Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, thrive here. Even the notoriously difficult to grow Pinot Noir seems to thrive in the Casablanca microclimate.

Veramonte has 1,000 acres of grape vines under cultivation in the east to west oriented valley, which is surrounded by hills and the foothills of the Andes. The soil is a mix of sand and decomposed granite gravel and the Casablanca Creek runs though the valley. Which means that the Varamonte vines don’t have to be drip-irrigates as there is enough natural moisture to sustain the vines. Only 30% of the vines are on their original vitis vinifera rootstock, the rest are grafted.

There were two wines that I particularly liked from the ones we tasted. Please, don’t get me wrong, all the wines were good. But I think these two were exceptional.

The first was a crisp, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc Reserva from the 2006 vintage. Fresh - it was just bottled a few months before - this inexpensive, light-straw-colored white was ready to drink and very enjoyable. The day before our winery visit, we had it during a seafood and fish lunch in Santiago and it paired exquisitely with the meal (see Anakena Restaurant in the Restaurant Notes of LuxuryWeb Magazine). It was slightly grassy with white flower and tropical fruit aromas on the nose, pleasantly zesty on the palate with crisp notes of citrus. Melon and herbs dominated the lingering finish. For a suggested retail of under $10 (mostly discounted between $7-8) it was a very pleasant little wine to be drunk well chilled. Rated at LWM89 points.

On the other side of the equation there was the 2004 Primus, I believe one of the best wines Rafael Tirado has produced. The grapes were picked from the highest blocks on the hillsides. A mouthwatering blend of 23% Carmenère, 47% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; it was a truly massive wine. The color was deep, dark opaque garnet with dark ruby highlights. The nose was redolent of exotic spices, red fruit, plum and hints of tobacco and mint. Massive palate, lush and velvety, spicy with blackberry, dry cherries and smooth powerful, slightly dusty, tannins. It spent 12 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak. This is a wine that is really underpriced (MSRP $18). It will give great pleasure for many years to come. Rated at LWM94 points.

À votre santé!

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