2016 De Martino, Gallardía, Old Vine White, Itata Valley, Chile
Critics reviews
Luis Gutirrez - 28/04/2017
About this WINE
De Martino
De Martino is one of the most progressive and exciting names on the Chilean wine scene, deservedly named Chilean Winery of the year in 2011. Through a network of intellectual partnerships and vineyard acquisition, it has quickly built up a reputation for organic viticulture of the highest quality, farming from over 350 different vineyards.
The corporate vision focuses on sustainability, terroir, and, by logical extension, excellence. By concentrating on the very best sites for the varieties in question, be they in Limari, Elqui or Maipo, and by the development of a world class winemaking team, De Martino now sits at the very top of the Chilean vinous hierarchy.
The Alto Piedras vineyards make up 5 hectares of the sub-Denominacion of the Isla de Maipo, a de facto island as the vines are surrounded by two branches of the Maipo River. Two other self-evident truths are located in the nomenclature; firstly that the terrain is rocky, volcanic gravel to be precise and secondly that the vines are quite high up. Chile’s indigenous grape, Carmenère, is here aged for 18 months in new French oak.
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.
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Description
A new member of the Itata family, the 2016 Gallardía de Itata Old Vine White is sourced from their own dry-farmed, ungrafted old vines planted in 1905 in the zone of Guarilihue. It is a field blend of approximately 70% Moscatel and the rest what they call Corinto, which is nothing other than Chasselas. They consider 2016 a great vintage in Itata, and you were able to harvest early and were not guided by the sugar content of the grapes. Following the house style, this has low alcohol (12.3%), low pH (3.09) and high acidity (6.38 grams), unusual for the varieties elsewhere. This is the blend that was traditional in the zone. The nose is not terribly expressive, somehow neutral and austere, it doesn't show the typical Moscatel aromas. The wine was kept in used barrels until it was bottled in November 2016. The palate is light and fresh, quite tasty, not terribly expressive either. 9,680 bottles produced.
Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate. 28th April 2017.
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