Casablanca Valley
Learn more about 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.
Recommended producer: De Martino
Prices:
Bottle
£10.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl367cs
It is really interesting to find a parcel of slightly more mature Syrah from the New World and this example from the Casablanca Valley is quite fascinating. The black cherry fruit is complemented by notes of wood smoke and bacon fat while the tannins are supple and refined. It is an elegant wine with a long finish.
Bottle
£19.95
Bottle 12 x 75cl26cs
André Ostertag and one is clearly in the presence of something very different and very special.
This wine is an excellent example of this fickle grape, with a bright strawberry red colour, and a satisfying concentration of ripe red fruit that steers well away from jamminess, and instead delights with spicy and savoury complexity. Please decant the wine an hour before drinking to maximise your enjoyment.
Bottle
£28.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Vinified in large amphorae and later aged in 100% new American oak for 18 months, this was kept in bottle for two years before release.
Catriona Felstead MW - New World Buyer
Bottle
£35.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl33cs
One of our favourite experimental wines to come out of RE is its Chardonnoir, which, as the name implies, is a blend of the two principal Champagne grapes, and is a nod to the famous style of sparkling. The varietals are fermented separately and remain on the lees for around two years. The result? ”An incredible white wine,” says Catriona Felstead MW, our buyer for the region. A zingy palate of pink grapefruit, peach and nectarine leads to a gorgeous, mineral finish with amazing length. The subtle oak is harmonious integrated; this is a pure, complete wine.
Bottle
£35.50
Bottle 6 x 75cl92cs
Viña Roja is the name of the vineyard holdings of the famous (in Chile) Soc. Agrícola Santa Elena de Loncomilla in the Maule Valley. The vineyards were bought by the Morande family in 2000 with the objective of bringing life back into the old Carignan vines. Five years later, the project was complete and today these vines are some of the oldest in the area, dry farmed in a sustainable manner. They are over 70 years old, produce tiny quantities of grapes and are considered a real treasure of Chilean viticultural heritage.
Catriona Felstead MW - New World Buyer
Bottle
£44.00
The new vintage of our own-label Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderfully aromatic and energetic
style, full of notes of gooseberries, nettles and just-mown grass. It is bright and refreshing but with a lovely texture, making it more generous on the palate than you might expect. Loma Larga
has excelled in making this wine for us;
it is exceptionally moreish with a clean, pure finish.