CASA MARIN RIESLING MIRAMAR VINEYARD
When the first vintage of the Sauvignon Blanc was released, it was heralded by Parker as the best white wine made in South America. A moment of great satisfaction for Maria Luz Marin who had to fight to be allowed to plant her vineyards in Lo Abarca, only 5km from the sea. But this is a lady who doesn't take 'no' for an answer and has a career littered with great achievements and numerous firsts. Maria Luz's vision and determination to coax world-class wines from these coastal vineyards have proved Chile is capable of producing wine that can take on the world's best.
Vines average around 17 years old, planted on granite soils which yield around 5 tons per hectare. A coastal climate, as vineyards are only 4km away from the Pacific Ocean with average temperatures of 15°C. In summer temperatures are not higher than 28ºC. Morning fogs and frosts are frequent in spring and early summer and there is no rain during growing season. Grapes are handpicked during the second and third week of April with the pickers looking for crunchy berries with plenty of acidity. Due to the frequent morning fogs and low temperatures in April some bunches are affected by noble rot (botrytis).
Grapes are manually sorted by hand allowing a small percentage of botrytis cinerea, leaving behind unwanted green materials. The bunches are pressed without being crushed for 3 hours. The juice is chilled down to 5 degrees and then racked off the lees. It ferments at 12 to 14°C with Anchor yeast for 2.5 weeks. Usually fermented to dry, in some vats the fermentation is stopped just before dryness in order to retain some residual sugar; this portion is added to the final blend.
This wine has no oak treatment. The nose shows a range of intense youthful aromas of lemon and orange blossom. The palate has a delicate sweetness, perfectly balanced by sherbet flavours, mouth-watering natural acidity, and stunning minerality. This wine is marvelous now but will go on improving and developing for the many years to come.
