(2015) The headline price for a half bottle of this wine is £6.99, and I could easily recommend it at that. But until the end of August 2015 it's down to just £5.24, and at that there is absolutely no reason not to indulge. With 200g/l of residual sugar it is fully sweet and lush, with a fabulously opulent Muscat nose, overflowing with fresh grapes and flowers. The palate has a massive, unctuous presence: there is surely some Botrytis here, as cold tea and barley sugar notes join the nectarine fruit, with a background of faint nuttiness. It is motuhfulling and ultra-luscious, and with a tangy orange acid excellent balance, in an inexpensive wine that delivers a joyously simple mouthful of sweetness to to cope with even the sweetest desserts.
(2013) GDD 1550, diurnal range of 13.5ºC. 14% ABV. This comes from limestone soils with sandy loam, and a vineyard 12 kilometres from the coast that enjoy some cooling fogs, but quite warm as it edges closer to the Atacama. It spends 12 months in French oak. Lovely red fruit character, nice and ripe and open with a hint of strawberry. On the palate leaner in style than the Ocio from Casablanca certainly, more orange to the acidity and a little more angular overall. Enjoyable nevertheless.
(2013) From vineyards with a 'big Pacific influence', GDD 1600, diurnal range of 16.1ºC. 14% ABV. Vineyards planted on alluvial river soils, with clay and stones over chalk. Very dense, opaque crimson colour. Meaty aromatics are dense and savoury, not so aromatically lifted as the Errázuriz, but with a lovely savoury depth. Juicier on the palate, ripe and round but seems just a little too solid and foursquare, with a little leathery aspect in the finish.
(2013) >From the northerly Limari Valley, one of Chile's newer and cooler regions, this carefully made Chardonnay was fermented with indigenous yeasts and spent 11 months in used French oak barrels. The nose has that delightfully flinty, complex sulphide character of quality Burgundy, taut and racy with apple and fragrant pear, but a touch of frangipane with its delicate nuttiness. On the palate it is admirably cool and restrained, with a modest 13.5% alcohol and the clean bite of apple and citrus driving the mid-palate. Balanced, fine, yet substantial, this is a really nicely balanced and distinctive Chardonnay.
(2013) One of the highest GDD at 1600, diurnal range of 16.1ºC. 14.1% ABV. Again from alluvial terraces with some chalk, and covered in rounded stones. Pale gold, still a hint of green. A bigger wine immediately, with lots of toast, giving a coffeeish character and a real fig and quince richness. Rounder and bigger than the Carmen on the palate, there is real fruit sweetness here, edging into the tropical spectrum, but tangy and juicy too, a real lemon and mineral, typical Limarí freshness in the finish.
(2010) Only 20% of the oak is new. Lovely, deep, chocolate and spice nose, with nice aromatic oak, lots of fennel and exotic seeds and spices. Delicious strawberry fruit with only gentle leafy and truffle and those little spice and chocolate notes offset by good acidity and fine tannins. Very good quality at the price here.
(2010) Very nice rich, chunky Cabernet style, with a certain blue-black dustiness and earthiness. The palate has lovely, thick blackcurrant fruit, with still that dry, savoury, black olive character of this region that keeps it savoury and moreish.
(2010) Just a touch of camphory, leafy green to this, with tomato skin notes, some spice and red berry fruit. The palate has a real edge of freshness running through it, with some really nice, rich fruit beneath and blackberry tartness and sweetness. Quite chocolaty tannins and very good elegance and structure.
(2010) Barrel aged for 12 months. Really big, creamy, ripe nose, with lots of thick, sweet black fruit, and a lovely ripe generosity. The palate too has fine sweet black fruit, with a lifted, violet and damson skin edge, with lots of acidity and fine tannins adding terrific zest and structure.
(2010) Comes from a very special block that was about to be re-grafted because yields were so poor. Felipe has worked on the vineyard, which still produces low-yielding, small bunches. Now around 3,000 case production. It still has that touch of green herbs, but adds in extra smoky, peppery qualities. There is a meatiness to this - smoked meats - and really dense fruit as well as a coffeeish quality. The palate has lots of fruit sweetness and concentration. Quite silky too, with a smooth, rounded, but quite forceful tannic grip. There's a dry savouriness too, with black olive and that meatiness.
