Felipe Tosso, head winemaker at Chile’s Ventisquero, was just lately on the town to showcase his wines. Our schedules didn’t align, so we did the following neatest thing: Connecting over Zoom to debate his strategy to winemaking on this 2600-mile lengthy nation, his philosophy operating to low intervention, primary manufacturing methods, and minimal filtration. Tosso is all about letting his wines showcase their terroir, and he offered a trilogy of his biggest hits throughout our tasting session. Let’s dive in.
2020 Ventisquero Tara White Wine #1 Atacama – Really chardonnay fermented with native yeast, grown in one of many driest locations on the planet, the coastal facet of the Atacama desert. A low-intervention wine (Tosso doesn’t use the time period “pure wine”), it’s aged on the lees in concrete and impartial oak for two years then bottled unfiltered (and as such is sort of cloudy). Stunning stuff. Wealthy, notes of lemon curd and inexperienced apple transfer into notes of apricot and a few coconut, with a pinch of salinity within the combine. Exquisitely balanced, with simply the correct quantity of punch within the physique — and no overbearing oak to slap you round. A / $34
2018 Ventisquero Gray [Glacier] Cabernet Sauvignon Trinidad Winery – One in every of 10 completely different wines beneath the Gray label, this one from Chile’s Maipo Valley. A classically structured, simple expression of cabernet. Bristling with fruit, ripe and juicy with notes of cassis and raspberry, transferring gently into vanilla and a few milk chocolate notes. Some orange peel on the end. Wholly approachable, if quick on complexity. B+ / $24
2019 Ventisquero Vertice Apalta Winery – A carmenere/syrah mix (52%/48%). Made with mountain fruit. A bit on the candy facet, extra strawberry than raspberry, with tons of vanilla within the combine. Atypical construction for these grapes, with out the aggressive earthiness and meatiness that one sometimes finds in each varietals. Loads of baking spice notes, with ample milk chocolate on the end. B+ / $34
2020 Ventisquero Tara White Wine #1 Atacama
$34
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