Chile / Casablanca Valley
Add to my wine list2020 Casas del Bosque Reserva Chardonnay
Casas del Bosque
Casablanca Valley
Aromas of lemon and green plums, with a hint of toasted bread. Mineral notes dominate and reverberate on the back of the nose. Acidity holds a linear profile on the palate and sustains the volume of the wine.
Half of the grape juice is fermented in used French barrels where they are aged for 9 months before blending. On the nose aromas of almond, ripe pear and green apple dominate. In the mouth, a citrus backbone is fleshed-out by ample mineral notes finishing with a very subtle smoky/woody note. A bright, zesty acidity imparts excellent structure and length.
Viticulture
Mostly yellow sandy loams. A blend of ungrafted “Mendoza” clones and grafted French clones. The vineyard is located 18 km/11 miles from the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of 250m/820ft.
Vineyard located within the coolest, westernmost reaches of the Casablanca Valley. Crop levels reach an average of 7 tons per hectare (3.2 US tons per acre). This vintage was characterised by a warm and dry summer. Mean diurnal shifts in March, when harvest was carried out, were 13.1ºC. Rains were extremely low during the growing season, concentrating between May and September and reaching a yearly total of 150mm.
Due to the cool climate, this is one of the last Chardonnays to be harvested in the valley. The grapes are picked at night and then left to soak on their skins for at least 5 days before pressing.
Vinification
After the harvest, the grapes were destemmed and crushed to a pneumatic press. The resulting juices were then left to cold settle for a night and the following day racked clean to stainless steel tanks, inoculated with selected yeasts and fermented at temperatures between 15ºC and 18ºC . After that, 10% of the young wine was transferred to third use French oak barrels. Only 5% of the blend went through malolactic fermentation, carried out with a co-inoculation with lactic bacteria. The rest was left on its lees before the final blending. After clarification, cold-stabilization and fining, the first bottling was carried out in June 14th, 2021. Total production was 5,500 cases.
Recommendation
Ideally served at 6–8ºC/ 43-46ºF with shellfish, crustaceans (crab is a favourite in Chile) and poultry. Herbs and spices like sage, tarragon and nutmeg. Grilled courgette, mushrooms and creamy cheeses like vacherin, époisses or burrata.