Chilean Wine

Arboleda is a relative newcomer to the Chilean wine market but its founder, Eduardo Chadwick, has been around for a while as the fifth generation of the family behind the Errazuriz label. With the confidence that comes of so much experience and a multi-million dollar bank account he set up Arboleda as more of a niche producer, crafting vineyard specific wines from sustainable vineyards. Syrah probably isn’t the first variety you think of when considering Chilean wine but I think it’s got a great future here, particularly at the mid to higher end of the market. This is gloriously full with ripe, soft tannins but still retains a classic Syrah acidity on the finish to add freshness.

100% País, from dry farmed vines which are estimated to be over 150 years old. Grapes are hand picked and destemmed and put in to open top wooden tanks where slow alcoholic fermentation takes place over 18 days with soft pump overs to avoid extraction. Malolactic fermentation takes place and the wine is aged in concrete eggs and old French oak barrels for 18 months. Red fruit aromas such as cherries and wild herbs, with an earthy hint. The palate shows firm and gentle tannins, structured and balanced, an elegant and complex wine that is reminiscent of Chile´s native forest.

Amongst the first Chilean blends to champion Carmenere. Rich sumptuous intense black cherries, mulberries and more berries! Vanilla, sweet spice with herbal and savoury tones together with a hint of mint. The palate contains the same berry intensity plus a wonderful warm dusty character, reminiscent of its location. It is a well-balanced and complex wine with soft, round tannins and a long finish that shows both character and personality.

Emiliana

This wine displays an intense ruby red colour with violet hues. The nose reveals aromas of red fruit and black fruit with balsamic tones, which complements with notes of vanilla, chocolate, cherry and plums. It has a soft palate, fine-grained tannins, and refreshing acidity.

La Despensa Wines from Chile’s Colchagua Valley is owned, organically-farmed and operated by Matt Ridgway, originally from Dorset, and his Chilean wife Ana

Grenache and Syrah harvested together and co-fermented in concrete with native yeast. Pulp and skins from Roussanne which was harvested for a straight white wine 10 days earlier (also co-fermented). Mourvèdre comes in 2.5 weeks later and with much lower Brix so we leave some Grenache and Syrah hanging to over-ripen and co-ferment with the Mourvèdre. This helps reduce the green notes that Mourvèdre can sometimes produce. The blend is made as soon as all the wine is pressed. Aged in concrete (lined, so neutral).

Fresh and easy drinking with the acidity and tannins to help the wine age over the years to come. Drink now or hold your peace for 5+ years! Grenache provides the fruit-forward part of the wine and also some grippy tannins, with Syrah adding structure and color. Mourvèdre adds elegance and finesse, and the Roussanne helps add some roundness and mouthfeel alongside a slightly tropical kick.

A fabulously expressive Sauvignon, brimming with ripe aromatics with a fresh, zippy finish. It’s not challenging or mould-breaking, it’s just cracking good wine with an interesting back story behind it’s name. Adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and rich in Polynesian mythology, Motu Nui was the essential location for Easter Island’s legendary bird-man cult Tangata manu. Representatives from each island clan would wait for the visiting sooty terns to lay their first egg on Motu Nui, then swim across the shark-infested bay bearing that egg and climb the mainland cliffs of the Orongo volcano to claim rights of power and privilege for their clan for the following year. Many of the protagonists were devoured by sharks or fell to their deaths in this visceral trial of courage.

Medium intensity yellow colour with a coppery rim. It presents a slight cloudiness due to the fact that it is unfiltered in order to give the most natural expression of the blend. Fruity notes reminiscent of quince, pear and apricot as well as an intense presence of mandarin and orange zest nuanced with aromas of beeswax and a pleasant floral bouquet. Complex on the palate, textured and with structure enhanced by the contribution of the skins, which provide chewy tannins, all supported by good acidity and volume on the palate.

Natural fermentation with prolonged skin contact maceration (30% whole cluster and the rest from destemmed grapes). Fermentation takes place in large 600L French oak barrels of over 5 years of age. These are open and positioned vertically for regular treading during fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, the barrels are closed and refilled for storage for 8 months of further maceration. After this period, the wine is separated from its skins and preserved for one month in clay and ceramic amphorae.

An un-oaked Chardonnay from Chile with a creamy and soft palate with a hint of citrus fruit.

Medium-bodied unoaked wine with aromas of ripe berries and a hint of chocolate and soft tannins on the palate.

Lively and refreshing on the palate, with notes of red cherries, strawberry and raspberry, with good acidity and a long finish.

A dry crisp unoaked wine with a fresh bouquet and a refreshing citrus flavour.

Blend. 88% Petit Verdot & 12% Cabernet Sauvignon
Location. Curico Valley
Tasting Note. Showing a deep garnet colour and intense notes of spices, black fruit, berries, minty chocolate and a smooth touch of vanilla. In the mouth it's lush and silky, with a spicy character and a juicy palate that leaves a long finish
Vinification. Following a 4 day cold soak with wine is macerated for 25 days. Fermentation is at warm temperatures with daily remontage. The wine is aged for 12 months in both French and American oak barriques
Food Match. Roasted meats, such as Beef and Lamb

Elegant and fresh deep blue berries aromas, spice and hints of vanilla. Well balanced with round tannins and some creamy oak notes on the finish.

Parcel of new top Chardonnay from Felipe Müller, sourced from a 0.7 hectare parcel from the Talinay Vineyard. One of Tim Atkins' ‘Chardonnay's of the Year’ in his 2023 Chile report and receipent of 96pts in his 2024 report. Described as ‘Chile meets Puligny-Montrachet style’.

Pale yellow in color, Caliza is a wine with great depth, long, tense, juicy and with nerve. Saline, mineral notes and linear in structure. Undoubtedly a wine with character, in which the extraordinary qualities of the Talinay vineyard are expressed.

Stunning Pinot from the Talinay Vineyard. Winemaker Felipe Müller planted the best, limestone rich slope with a field selection from Vosne Romanee and Gevrey Chambertin. This is the first vintage and has already been hailed as one of the best Pinot's from Chile.

Two massal selections from Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin were planted ungrafted and with a very high density of 12,500 plants per hectare on a steep slope (30%) inside the Talinay estate vineyard. It's a unique 1.15 hectares of vines that were planted in 2012, and the first commercial wine was produced in 2018. This site has some of highest concentration of calcium carbonate (limestone) in the Talinay vineyard. It’s fermented with 40% whole bunch, with native yeasts and then matured in used French oak barrels for 12 months.

The nose is attractive with brooding cherry fruit, floral lift and an underlying stoney minerality. The palate is taught with delicious red berry fruits, layered upon precise minerality and freshness. It’s a very long and clean wine with extremely fine, chalky tannins.

A nose of honey, apricots and marmalade extends to a luscious yet well balanced palate. There is some acidity here which adds freshness and keeps the wine very clean. Warm stone fruits, orange citrus and nectarine linger on the pleasing finish.

Viña Requingua

This wine is a unique blend from the Colchagua Valley that seeks to showcase the great potential achieved by mixing red varieties to highlight their individual and collective character. With a bright ruby red colour, it displays an interesting and expressive nose where the fruity and spicy style predominates, showing aromas of cherry, blueberries, blackberry, violet flower accompanied by notes of red pepper, rosemary, and tarragon. On the palate, it is of medium concentration with a beautiful acidity that gives it great liveliness and juiciness. Soft and silky tannins provide a subtle and elegant finish that makes it an easy-to-drink wine, ideal for sharing and enjoying.