Don't Wait Until Earth Day to Try These Organic Wines from Veramonte Vineyards

Veramonte Vineyards is a Chilean producer that follows organic practices in order to "express the fullest potential of the terroir".  These practices are augmented with in-house compost; row cultivation to minimize erosion; incorporation of animals like sheep to cut grass and act as a natural fertilizer; conservation of biological corridors to ensure a self-regulated ecosystem for healthy vines; pruning and canopy handling that allows for proper ventilation and disease prevention; and undergrowth control that unpacks the soil, generates structure and enhances the life and soil microfauna. 

They follow these organic practices while growing grapes in two of Chile's 16 wine regions -- the  Casablanca and Colchagua valleys. The Casablanca Valley is "known for the marine influence of the Pacific Ocean that cools off its climate, the morning fog that settles into the valley, and the old, granite-clay soils that create a rich tapestry of terroir. All these factors play a part in making this valley one of the main producers of white wine in Chile. The higher, warmer altitudes free from frosts are ideal for red varieties such as Merlot and Syrah, while the lower and cooler areas are favorable for vibrant white wines with a signature minerality that cause Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to be the most iconic varieties of the Casablanca Valley".

The Colchagua Valley is located in the southern half of the Rapel Valley and the "relatively low altitude of the coastal hills allows the Pacific breeze to mingle with the Andean winds, which cools the valley and prolongs the maturation period of the region. This is advantageous for the preservation of acidity in the grapes and helps to generate red wines with excellent coloring, great freshness, and very good keeping qualities. The large majority of wine produced here is red, with a particular propensity for the production of Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Although, the newer plantations close to the coast have also proven to be a region with great potential for cool-climate white wines".

Veramonte Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($11.99)
Sourced from the Casablanca Valley this is a great expression of an old-world style Sauvignon Blanc as opposed to more popular lemongrass-dominated styles. This is a delicious wine, subdued citrus, and considerable minerality coexisting with depth and refreshing acidity.

Veramonte Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($11.99)
Sourced from the Colchagua Valley this is another delicious wine that is the antithesis of overly extracted cabs. There is dark red fruit, but the chalky and earthier characters are more prevalent and expect sound structure and noticeable tannins. At this price - an incredible bargain. 

Disclosure: We received samples from Veramonte in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

Organic Wines from Chile's Veramonte Vineyards

Wines of Chile list 16 valleys noted for wine production and for a quarter of a century, Veramonte Vineyards has been farming in the "the trailblazing cold-climate wine-producing region of Chile":  the Casablanca Valley. Over time they also set roots in the Colchagua Valley which has "evolved over the last twenty years from being a calm stretch of farmland to becoming one of the largest and most active wine-producing regions in the country." Today the wine is part of the Gonzalez Byass family and produces seven organic varietal wines from these two appellations.

The Casablanca Valley is "known for the marine influence of the Pacific Ocean that cools off its climate, the morning fog that settles into the valley, and the old, granite-clay soils that create a rich tapestry of terroir. All these factors play a part in making this valley one of the main producers of white wine in Chile. The higher, warmer altitudes free from frosts are ideal for red varieties such as Merlot and Syrah, while the lower and cooler areas are favorable for vibrant white wines with a signature minerality that cause Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to be the most iconic varieties of the Casablanca Valley".

The Colchagua Valley is located in the southern half of the Rapel Valley and the "relatively low altitude of the coastal hills allows the Pacific breeze to mingle with the Andean winds, which cools the valley and prolongs the maturation period of the region. This is advantageous for the preservation of acidity in the grapes and helps to generate red wines with excellent coloring, great freshness, and very good keeping qualities. The large majority of wine produced here is red, with a particular propensity for the production of Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Although, the newer plantations close to the coast have also proven to be a region with great potential for cool-climate white wines". 

In both valleys, Veramonte follows organic practices in order to "express the fullest potential of the terroir".  These practices are augmented with in-house compost; row cultivation to minimize erosion; incorporation of animals like sheep to cut grass and act as a natural fertilizer; conservation of biological corridors to ensure a self-regulated ecosystem for healthy vines; pruning and canopy handling that allows for proper ventilation and disease prevention; and undergrowth control that unpacks the soil, generates structure and enhances the life and soil microfauna. 

Veramonte Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($11.99)
Sourced from the Casablanca Valley this was my favorite of the trio and expressed an old-world style in contrast to more popular lemongrass dominated Sauvignon Blanc. Citrus is present, much more subdued, coexisting with considerable depth, and finishing with refreshing acidity.

Veramonte Organic Pinot Noir 2018 ($12.99)
Also from the Casablanca Valley, this is a very pleasant wine with sour cherries throughout. It presents a satisfying balance between tannins and acidity. 

Veramonte Organic Carmenere 2018 ($11.99)
Sourced from the warmer Colchagua Valley this wine expressed blue fruits like plums and blueberries that are rich in concentration with rising acidity.  Would prefer a little more tannic structure.

Disclosure: We received samples from Veramonte in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

Comparative Chilean Carménère with TerraNoble

TerraNoble is a Chilean winery that was founded in 1993 with the intent to highlight wines from the Maule Valley. The following year, Chilean Merlot was correctly identified as Carménère, and TerraNoble committed itself to this rediscovered grape.  They chose to establish their winery and initial vineyard (La Higuera Vineyard) in an area called Valle del Claro within the San Clemente district - the highest region in the Maule Valley. Over the years TerraNoble expanded their holdings into the Casablanca and the Colchagua Valleys with the later including the Los Lingues Vineyard near the Andes and the Los Cactus Vineyard near the Pacific Coast. 

This development offered a clear opportunity to produce single vineyard Carménère wines using the same winemaking techniques in order to compare and contrast wines made near the coast to those produced near the mountains.  These techniques included an 8-12 day fermentation at 26-27º C and a one-two week post-fermentation maceration -- all depending on the lot. Finally, the lots were combined into French oak barrels and untoasted foudres to age for 14 months. The resultant wines were the 2017 TerraNoble CA1 and the 2017 TerraNoble CA2 (both $24.99). 

The CA1 comes from the Los Lingues Vineyard located at the base of the Andes Mountains and benefits from a temperate Mediterranean microclimate. At night though, the vineyard experiences a strong diurnal temperature to 20º C that helps the grapes ripen slowly over time while retaining acidity.  The soils consist of high draining sand, clay, and granite with few nutrients. These conditions help produce a fresh Carménère wine with lively acids, dark black fruit, a slightly green and herbaceous palate, and firm tannins. 

The CA2 derives from the coastal Los Cactus Vineyard which shares a similar temperate Mediterranean climate with a cooling effect from the constant sea breezes. The soils are silt and sandy loam over a granite base that provides good drainage and similar low nutrients.  In some respects, the CA2 is similar to the CA1 -- but with less intensity. It's lively, but not as acidic with a higher fruit expression.  And the tannins are slightly less firm. But the primary difference is the absence of herbs and green characters. 

They both are delicious wines, but my favorite was the 2016 TerraNoble CA1 ($24.99) that the winery snuck in as a vertical to the 2017 CA1 but with a slightly different winemaking protocol. This wine has a similar freshness and herbaceous green character, but the tannins were much more rounded. Excellent. 

Disclosure: We received samples from TerraNoble in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.