Boise Coop Wine Shop

Two from Chile

• April 9, 2008

2007 Vina Quintay Clava Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand has its Marlborough, and California has its Carneros. Yet when it comes to world-class wines that are (still) a jaw-dropping value, Chile may trump them all. Based in Chile’s Casablanca Valley, a sea-influenced region (just 12 miles from the coast near Valparaiso) that is ideal for cool-weather varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Clava is the value-priced second label for Vina Quintay. Winemaking there is natural and true to the land—winemaker and organic pioneer Alvaro Espinoza and his partner, Juan Carlos Faúndez, make wine no other way. Harvests are always done by hand, and a strict selection is made before the grapes are pressed to ensure every berry is perfectly ripe. Juice is fermented primarily in stainless steel, with a very small percentage (usually less than 1%) in new French oak for added complexity and body, and is aged on fine lees.

2006 Chono Syrah

Situated in the Maipo Valley, Chono sits just south of Santiago, sandwiched between the breathtaking Andes mountains to the east and the coastal range. Here the weather is hot and dry during the summer days, while evenings are cool—an ideal combination for for world-class Syrah, and that is exactly what winemaker Alvaro Espinoza has crafted. Concentrated and fruity, with a silkiness that runs from its abundant perfumes to its watch-breaking length, this Syrah is ripe, juicy and chock-full of blackberries and chocolate-dipped red berries. Spicy aromas of black pepper and tar show on the nose. The wine’s freshness is dazzling, a nod to the region’s cool climate and careful vinification that captures every bit of pure, unblemished fruit. Tannins are supple and sweet; every drop is polished and wonderfully complex. A stunning effort and a profound pleasure to drink.