2011 Bodegas RE, Chardonnoir, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Bodegas RE

Bodegas RE is pushing the boundaries in Chile. This is a new, constantly evolving project with ‘experiments’ being worked on every year and wines being kept back until they are ready.  RE refers to the winery’s concept of REcreating, REinventing, REdiscovering…
 
It was set up in 2012 by Casablancan pioneer Pablo Morande and his son (also Pablo). The Morande family are very well known throughout Chile: the young Pablo is a 9th generation winemaker and, despite  Pablo Senior having  made a name for himself in the early 1980s in Casablanca (with Morande and Concha y Toro), their family roots have been established firmly in the Maule valley since the early 1800’s.
 
Maule is a hot area with a brightness that is apparent, however due to the short ripening period the wines manage to retain a high acidity. During the summer with temperatures reaching 36 degrees, special attention is required when picking.  Its red clay soils are largely rain fed with no irrigation, and unlike Casablanca, they are not affected by frost. The vineyards are planted on rolling hills at around 200m altitude, producing low yields of around 6-8 tonnes.
 
Bodegas RE’s winery and significant vineyard holdings are located in Casablanca, but they also have 72 ha of vines 450km away in Loncomilla in the Maule Valley. The winery is impressive with old terracotta amphorae of different sizes and ages, 12, 000 litre cement tanks coated on the outside with clay to make them look like large amphorae, as well as Italian ‘botti’ and American barriques… all highlighting the experimental nature of what is happening here.
 
These wines highlight the huge potential of the Maule Valley and the bodega manages to achieve an exciting balance of traditional and new practices. A wide variety of grape varieties are planted and dry farming is adopted, giving their old Carignan vines (70 years +) a refinement but a concentration on the mid-palate that some Carignans lack.  

Casablanca Valley

Casablanca valley is located approximately 1 hour west of Santiago, south of Aconcagua and north of San Antonio Valley, well-exposed to the cool Pacific ocean breezes. It is Chile's first cool-climate wine producing region, with an internationally established reputation since the early 1990s for its arresting, vibrant, mouth-watering white wines, made predominantly from Chardonnay (over 75%) and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Viogner and Riesling, exotically perfumed and richly flavoured.

Early morning fog (the result of the Pacific's icy Humboldt current) keeps temperatures low and adds moisture in an otherwise dry terrain. Midday breezes clear the fog, allowing the sunshine to reach and ripen the grapes.

A host of producers tend nearly 4,000 hectares of vines in the valley, which offers a myriad of microclimates. The higher, warmer, frost-free sections are suitable for red varieties like Merlot and Carmenere, while the lower, cooler areas produce excellent fruit for cool-climate grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

In acknowledgment of certain similarities between Casablanca and California's Napa Valley, the two valleys signed a viticultural alliance in 2002.

Other Varieties

There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.