200 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 65 | 2019

tasting / savor / South America’s Finest Whites

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South America’s reputation as a fine-wine producer largely rests on its red wines. Even skeptics

about the current level of vinous development in the continent—and whose experience of, for the most part, Argentine and Chilean wines is still largely of the “great value budget bottle” kind—tend to view Malbec, Cabernet, Merlot, Carmenère, and, at a push Tannat, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, as the source of potential in the region. There’s a certain expectation, too, about how at least some of those varieties should taste, a caricatured idea of minty blackcurrant pastille Chilean Cabs and plummy-chocolatey Argentine Malbecs that has at least as much purchase in the minds of the average wine consumer as the supposed coconut and vanilla of Rioja or the heft and spice of Aussie Shiraz.

South American whites, by contrast, occupy very little space in the popular imagination. Asked to provide a generic description of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, almost any wine drinker can call on the gooseberries and the passion

fruit. But even a more than usually engaged enthusiast—one alert to current fashions and fired by curiosity to try as many different styles as possible—might struggle to come up with a pen portrait of a paradigmatic South American white style. What, apart from competitive pricing, would be the content of sound bites summing up Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, Argentine Chardonnay or Uruguayan Albariño? Perhaps only Argentine Torrontés, with its uninhibited, instantly recognizable talcum-powder tendencies, has managed to establish itself as a fixed, reasonably well-disseminated reference point. But given how divisive that character is, you wonder how much good its relative pre-eminence has done for the reputation of Argentine wine in particular, and South American wine more generally.

Before I go on I should point out that I do realize we’re at risk here of being accused of taking a reductive, homogenizing view of South America’s individual wine cultures by addressing

them as a single winemaking “region.” Our defense is the same as it was for the intra-continental tasting of South American red wines featured a year ago in WFW 62: briefly, we feel the cultural and historical affinities are sufficient enough to provide at least some justification for rolling Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and (albeit with just a couple of bottles) Brazil together (see WFW 62, pp.210–11 for a longer rehearsal of our arguments).

Equally, like that red tasting, such a whistle-stop tour of the South American white-wine scene was never going to provide enough information to draw any serious conclusions about terroir. Our mission was not to define regional or national differences, nor to develop pithy one-liner generic guides to South American varietal wines. What we were looking for was a sense of possibility, a chance to see what a selection of some of the region’s most reputed producers were getting up to with white wines: an exploratory piece of research to point the way to future, more focused lines of enquiry.

Acid housesNot the least of the three tasters’ preliminary findings was a happy one: that there are some genuinely delicious, exciting, skillfully made, and distinctive white wines being made in each of South America’s main producing countries, many of which satisfy one of the metrics still commonly used for defining fine wine—they have the structure to age.

Indeed, no matter the style, grape variety, region, or winemaking philosophy, abundant natural acidity was a consistent feature in the highest scoring wines. That’s a clear reflection of a general, 21st-century trend throughout the continent to seek out more suitable sites for white-variety cultivation, a trend most spectacularly evident in Chile (the leading country in this tasting in terms of both the number of wines submitted and the scores attained), where the north- south-east-west vine-rush of the past 20 years has greatly improved both the quality and the variety of the white wines.

I’m not sure I’m ready to say, on the strength of this tasting alone, which “new” or revamped region has the most potential in Chile. But what a pleasure it was to be able to compare wines from such latitudinal extremes as green and temperate Malleco in the south and the desert of Atacama in the north; or to cruise the east-west axis, from Andean-foothill Cachapoal and Colchagua, to Pacific-coastal San Antonio, Leyda, Casablanca, and, in the shape of the schist soils of Errázuriz’s Las Pizarras project, Aconcagua Costa.

THERE ARE GENUINELY DELICIOUS, EXCITING, SKILLFULLY MADE, AND DISTINCTIVE WHITE WINES BEING MADE IN EACH OF SOUTH AMERICA’S MAIN PRODUCING COUNTRIES

Protean, adaptable, malleable Chardonnay acted to some extent as a control in our tentative Chilean terroir experiment: linear, pure, desert-night sky-clear in Atacama; elegant, poised, mineral in Aconcagua Costa; toasty richness with citrus nerviness in Casablanca. There were rather fewer variables in our Chardonnay samples from Argentina, but the quality of the single-vineyard, high-altitude Mendozan iterations from Terrazas de Los Andes and Catena, and the balance (and lack of excess) on show in the majority of examples from both sides of the Andes (if not, in my view, in the one example from Brazil) is as good a measure as any of how white winemaking has improved in both countries. As Peter Richards MW says of Chilean Chardonnay (but the same applies to Argentine versions), a variety that was “so often a nadir in times gone by” is now delivering “freshness, diversity, and excitement.”

One could say something similar about Sauvignon Blanc, which until the 2010s encapsulated Chile’s timidly

David Williams is joined by Jamie Goode and Peter Richards MW for a diverse and impressive tasting of white wines from Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, which showed how far South America’s white winemaking has progressed over the past decade, a period when the continent’s leading producers have been exploring new terroirs and new winemaking styles

SOUTH AMERICA’S FINEST WHITES CRESTING A NEW WAVE

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Jamie Goode JG | Peter Richards PR | David Williams DWtasting / savor / South America’s Finest Whites

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pear and white-peach fruit, with a lemony undercurrent and very subtle toasty oak hints. Shows real delicacy and precision. | 92PR | Very lactic and popcorn nose initially. Toasty nuts emerge in the glass. Good fresh acidity and minerality sustains what is a very complex palate. It could use a little more tautness and focus of fruit at its heart, as it seems quite developed and the oak/lactic/leesy character is very prominent. But there is some fine nuance. Lots that is impressive here, even if it doesn’t quite come together in the final reckoning. | 91DW | Exceptionally refined Chardonnay from the very top drawer, this is so articulate and fluent, and with its river-bed mineral-inflected raciness and elegant, needle-flashes-in-sunlight, filigree acidity. Racy, structured, graceful, long. | 94

Leyda Riesling Single Vineyard Neblina DO Valle de Leyda Chile 2015 (13.5% ABV)

JG | Pronounced limey nose with some floral framing. The palate is linear and fresh, with dense citrus fruits and some honey, toast and grapefruit pith. Finishes dry and tight, with a bit of grip. Tending to austerity but still with nice intensity of fruit. | 90PR | Some elegant development here—honeyed notes adorn the green-apple and lime fruit. Succulent, crisp, structured. Food-friendly. A well-constructed, very serious style of dry Riesling. Ageworthy and complex. Outstanding stuff, really well made and ambitious, but in the right way. Layers of flavor. Wonderful concentration and potential. | 94DW | Composed, harmonious, racy, and with real coastal brightness and precision—this is textbook modern dry Riesling, with its pristine lime and mandarin just beginning to shade into something more carraway-like with age, and a compulsive drinkability. | 92

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Ventisquero Tara Atacama Chardonnay DO Atacama Valley Chile 2016 (13% ABV)

JG | This is pure, crisp, and lemony, with some refined white-peach richness. There are some pithy hints here, and an appealing stoniness, too. Shows a taut, linear style, with good acid and purity, and potential for development. | 93PR | Pale, fairly pure but also engaging. Hard to single out individual aromas here, seems appley fresh but warm earth also emerges. That said, it’s still inviting. Lovely palate structure and presence. It’s not at all shouty but it grabs the attention, lovely pure acidity, moreish and foodie. Flavors are neither sweet nor savory, somewhere in between. It’s vivid but also reticent, makes you think. Beautiful wine in an individual style. “Mineral” would be the best way to describe it, inscrutable but intriguing and a really lovely glass of wine, too. Give it some age. | 91DW | There’s a natural energy in this far northern Chardonnay, a clarity of fruit and acidity that is analogous to those clear northern skies, and which has a Chablis-like way with its pristine green-apple fruit and minerally raciness. | 92

Juan Carrau Petit Manseng Gran Reserva Montevideo Uruguay 2016 (13.5% ABV)

JG | Quite deep in color, this has a rich, nutty, slightly oily limey nose. Distinctive palate with good acidity, some nuttiness, a touch of wax and some spice. Combines richness and freshness with real character, and linear citrus and pear fruit with a twist of nectarine. Such intensity, but avoids being heavy or clumsy. | 89PR | Fairly deep lemon gold hue, with fine CO2 evident. Initially it seems fairly evolved, with notes of paper and warm earth. Baked cream, too. Succulent, rich attack, with ripe apple and pear fruit. Rich and succulent, very winning style, mouth-coating with tons of ripe fruit. Pleasantly integrated spice. It’s big, almost exponential, on the palate, with fairly rich texture (a touch of RS?) Maybe some botrytis in the mix. Either way, this is a winning style in the context of a rich, heart-warming white. Hard not to like it. Very well grounded as well as being big. Love this! | 93DW | Chenin-like “apples in the store” notes on the nose and palate, and a touch of honey, too, and then carried off with a nice, bright and tangy spine of acidity. A good effort with a grape variety that should surely be more widely planted. | 91

Mendel Semillon Argentina Mendoza 2016 (13% ABV)

JG | Laser-sharp focus to this wine, with pure lemony fruit dominating. It’s all tight-wound and zipped up at the moment, but the keen acidity is backing up some lovely citrus-fruit intensity. Give this time and it should age beautifully. | 93PR | Honeyed aromas, baked cream, some red apple. Fairly tangy and with some okay texture but it’s a bit grainy/gritty and the fruit doesn’t sing. Finishes relatively short. There is some good density on show here, it’s a muscular style, but

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Bodegas RE Velado [Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile (12.5% ABV)

JG | Full colored. Intriguing appley, oxidative nose with almond and cherry hints. The palate is intense with keen acidity and some nutty hints, as well as apple and herb notes. Pungent, tangy, and saline, this has some flor-like character. Bold and intense, but with a lot to like, although it is a distinctive, singular style. | 92PR | Wow! Oxidative, aldehydic (but not unpleasantly so—more in the realms of Fino Sherry or Vin Jaune), bruised red-apple aromas. Takes no prisoners. Full-on style. But my, how that palate comes together—juicy, structured, seamless, hugely complex, and utterly compelling. I love this wine. It dares to be different—not common in the South American context of old, though more so now, which is great to see. It’s unique. It may scare some people. But I adore this complexity, this verve, the savory depths of what is like a cross between great Burgundy, Jura, Champagne, and beyond. Stunning. | 97DW | Funky flor character and curry leaf and umami and nuttiness: utterly fascinating aroma and flavor characteristics. But it’s the depth-charge of electric energy driving all that savory intensity that keeps you coming back for more of this endlessly evolving and rewarding wine. | 94

Riccitelli Semillon Old Vines Patagonia Argentina 2017 (12.5% ABV)

JG | Focused, refined citrus and toast nose, with nice precision. Has an elegance to it. The palate has fantastic purity and linear citrus drive, with slight hints of toast and wax. A serious wine with great aging potential and keen acidity keeping things taut. | 92PR | Expressive, engaging aromas of baked lime and freshly made toast. Classic Semillon style, with a touch of development and toasty, slightly nutty aromas. Really inviting. Vibrant, borderline electric acidity runs through it right from the start—it’s compelling in this context. Limey acidity and toasty, nutty overtones carry it through the palate. It’s pretty full-on, really needs some food to soften it. It also could be longer and more cohesive on the finish. But this is a thing of joy, so much wine here. Give this one some bottle age and a tuna steak with freshly made guacamole—and you’ll be in heaven. | 93DW | Deep and savory nose, with some honeyed toastiness, and then the pull into a deep and satisfying savory palate, with flashes of that honey and a pleasing waxiness of texture, but agility, too—this doesn’t feel heavy or cumbersome in the least—then some salty seasoning, citrus-pith tanginess, and super length. Very good. | 93

Erràzuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay Aconcagua Costa Chile 2016 (13% ABV)

JG | Delicate honey and toast notes complement the citrus and white-peach fruitiness on the nose. Quite enticing. The palate has harmonious

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AVERAGE AND RANGE OF SCORES

Average Range

Tasting 90 83–97

JG 89 84–95

PR 90 83–97

DW 90 85–94

Bodegas RE Velado [Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2012 94Errázuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay Aconcagua Costa Chile 2016 94Lapostolle Collection Muscat Cerro Verde Valle del Itata Chile 2016 93Maycas del Limarí Quebrada Seca Chardonnay Valle del Limarí Chile 2017 93Mendel Semillon Argentina Mendoza 2016 93Bodegas RE Chardonnoir [Chardonnay / Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2016 93Riccitelli Semillon Old Vines Patagonia Argentina 2017 93Aristos Duquesa d’A Grand Chardonnay du Chili Cachapoal Valley Chile 2013 92Erràzuriz The Blend Collection [70% Roussanne / 15% Marsanne / 15% Viognier] DO Valle de Aconcagua Chile 2016 92Leyda Riesling Single Vineyard Neblina DO Valle de Leyda Chile 2015 92Ritual Supertuga Block Chardonnay Casablanca Valley Chile 2017 92Ventisquero Tara Atacama Chardonnay DO Atacama Valley Chile 2016 92Juan Carrau Petit Manseng Gran Reserva Montevideo Uruguay 2016 91Cerro Chapeu Since 1752 Gran Tradición [90% Petit Manseng / 10% Viognier] Montevideo Uruguay 2017 91Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc Cenizas de Laberinto Maule Chile 2018 91Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay High Altitude Vineyards Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 91Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Vino de Parcela Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2016 91Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc DO Lo Abarca Valle de San Antonio Chile 2018 90Cono Sur Valley Collection Reserva Especial Riesling DO Valle del Bío-Bío Chile 2018 90Montesco Verdes Cobardes [Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon / Viognier / Chardonnay] Tupungato Valley Mendoza Argentina 2013 90Terrazas de los Andes Torrontés High Altitude Vineyards Argentina 2018 90Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Sauvignon Blanc Malleco Valley Traiguen Chile 2016 90Viñedo de los Vientos Arneis / Chardonnay Canelones Uruguay 2016 90Viñedo de los Vientos Estival [60% Gewurztraminer / 30% Chardonnay / 10% Moscato Bianco] Uruguay 2017 90Zuccardi Fosil San Pablo [Chardonnay] Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 90

DAVID WILLIAMS’S TOP WINES

mercantile approach to wine production, with wines that ran the gamut from not bad to quite good. Here we had evidence of a thrilling new style crystallizing, one of pristine citrus, driving fresh acidity and minerals, characteristics I found in both Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc Cenizas de Laberinto grown on volcanic soils in the Maule Valley and in Pacific-cooled Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Lo Abarca in the San Antonio Valley.

If the dramatic improvement of South American Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc owes much to their adaptation to new sites, the strong performance of another variety, Semillon, is more about the rediscovery of the old. Widely planted for use as a blending agent in generic white blends, Semillon reached a peak of around 5,500ha (13,590 acres) in the 1970s. But as the Argentine industry developed in a quality-, and largely red wine-focused direction in the latter part of the 20th century, Semillon began to disappear. A mere 800ha (1,977 acres) remain today, but many are very old vines, which has made them attractive to the country’s more adventurous producers. The three examples on show at this tasting, two from Mendoza, and one from Patagonia, were all highly rated by one or more judges, with the Patagonian, Matias Riccitelli’s Old Vine Semillon 2017, taking second place in the overall scores, and the more divisive Via Revolucionaria Semillon Hulk 2015 being Jamie Goode’s highest scoring wine. These are wines of shimmering intensity and uncompromisingly strong personality that easily count among the finest being made in South America.

Winemaking revolutionsThe sheer range of varieties in this tasting—Petit Manseng, Arneis, Viognier, Roussanne, Gewürztraminer, Torrontés, Pinot Noir, and Muscat, as well as a fair smattering of Riesling—provided every bit as formidable an obstacle to generalization as the broad geographical scope. Looked at in one way, that might also imply a collective identity crisis, a feeling that winemakers throughout the continent (not least in Uruguay, which provided seven—very good—wines to the tasting, each with a different varietal mix) haven’t quite worked out what their strengths are.

Given the consistent quality—an impressive average score of 90 points with very few low scores—a more charitable counter-narrative is perhaps in order, however: that the very plurality contributed to the sense, shared by all three tasters, that South America no longer deserves its reputation for risk-free, pedestrian winemaking.

It’s not just the burgeoning varietal mix that creates that impression, welcome as it is after years of over-reliance on the same Standard New World Handful. As Richards says, “The sense of winemakers pushing the boundaries is palpable.” As an example, you need look no further than the top-scoring wine in the tasting, Bodegas RE Velado. Made from Pinot Noir grapes grown on poor red clay and sandy soils in a single vineyard in Casablanca where cool morning fog seeps in from the Pacific, the wine is vinified as a rosé and is aged under a layer of flor (hence, Velado, or veiled). It is, as Goode rightly says, “a distinctive, singular style,” but the confidence and skill of the winemaking—the balance, complexity, and energy on show—make it so much more than the naturalista gimmick it could have been.

That a flor-aged wine would even feature in a tasting of South American white wines, let alone come out on top, would have been unthinkable ten or even five years ago. One could say the same for many of the other wines here, from convincing Rhône-style blends, to laser-guided Rieslings and an Andean take on Graves where Torrontés takes the Muscadelle role. None of which make South American white wines any easier to summarize. Then again, why worry, when a sense of possibility, of things being still up for grabs, is a significant part of their appeal.

THAT A FLOR-AGED WINE WOULD EVEN FEATURE IN A TASTING OF SOUTH AMERICAN WHITE WINES, LET ALONE COME OUT ON TOP, WOULD HAVE BEEN UNTHINKABLE EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO

I LOVE THIS WINE. IT DARES TO BE DIFFERENT—NOT COMMON IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONTEXT OF OLD, THOUGH MORE SO NOW, WHICH IS GREAT TO SEE. IT’S UNIQUE. IT MAY SCARE SOME PEOPLE. BUT I ADORE THIS COMPLEXITY, THIS VERVE, THE SAVORY DEPTHS. LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN GREAT BURGUNDY, JURA, CHAMPAGNE

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Jamie Goode JG | Peter Richards PR | David Williams DWtasting / savor / South America’s Finest Whites

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hence it sits somewhat mid-palate and doesn’t quite follow through on the finish. Less would have been more. | 93DW | Delightful interplay of creaminess and leafy herbiness, with plenty of keen, sprightly, nervy acidity and pithy lime, and a touch of blossom honey that you feel will grow with time. Gastronomic, multi-layered, and delicious. | 93

Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay High Altitude Vineyards Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 (14% ABV)

JG | Very fine open nose of toast, meal, and citrus, with a touch of cashew nut. The palate is generous, combining sweet pear and peach fruit with some bright citrus, and well-integrated oak. It’s quite a crowd-pleaser on the one hand, with its ripe fruit and oak, but there’s also some seriousness here, and delicacy and finesse, too. Very stylish and ambitious; pulls it off well. | 93PR | Inviting, complex nose of red apple with roasted nuts and a touch of toffee popcorn. Opens up slowly and pleasantly in the glass, showing more savory toasty notes as it does so. Nutty, toasty flavors on the palate together with red-apple flavors. It doesn’t quite hang together easily, the acidity isn’t quite fresh enough, the spice blows it up slightly and there’s an uneasy heat. Beyond this, though, it’s an impressively wrought wine, ambitious in the right way, with some deft oaking. A fine Chardonnay, a work in progress, but can deliver pleasure now. | 90DW | Some struck-match reductive action, but it’s been carefully done, and achieved with high-quality, perfectly ripe fruit that results in a savory palate with tension and minerals to spare and a snap of ripe orchard fruit juiciness. Classy. | 91

Viñedo de los Vientos Estival [60% Gewurztraminer / 30% Chardonnay / 10% Moscato Bianco] Uruguay 2017 (13% ABV)

JG | Distinctive nose of lime, table grapes, and jasmine. This is really unusual. The palate is intense and vivid, but quite bright, with some lime jelly and grapefruit, and a keen thread of bright acidity. There’s a lot to like about this wine, but it is quite distinctive. | 88PR | Fairly deep hue and intriguing aromatics. Lime, orange blossom, some rose and litchi but it’s not too exaggerated. A pleasant apple undertow reins it all in. Expressive, nonetheless, and engaging. Palate is pretty taut and juicy, mouth-watering. Loving this! Really different, characterful, enaging. An aromatic white that doesn’t sacrifice tension and focus. Food-friendly—so many Asian dishes for which this would be a brilliant partner. I’m a big fan of this one—but it won’t be for everyone. | 93DW | Intriguing herbal notes on the nose in a wine that is aromatic without being blowsy, flashes of Gewurz’ spice and floral character, but nicely modulated with a nice food-friendly flourish of Atlantic freshness. | 90

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Calyptra Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc Chile Alto del Valle Cachapoal 2016 (14% ABV)

JG | This has lovely richness to it. There’s some fig and toast depth, with a core of pear and citrus fruit. Fine hints of green weave in and out of the toasty richness, and there’s a long, warm finish here. A bold, rich wine made in a more ageworthy style, drinking very well now. | 90PR | Seriously expressive, attention-grabbing nose. Roasted tangerine rind, freshly ground cashew nuts, and fresh cream. Ambitious, complex, savory style of oaked Sauvignon. Dense, tense, complex. Rich but grounded, with a freshness and mineral core. It’s fairly big on the finish, alcohol notable, but the generous structure sustains it. Well-integrated, complex, individual. Fabulous. | 95DW | Creamy, weighty, and full, this doesn’t have quite the energy that has been such a feature elsewhere in this tasting; there’s a duskiness to the fruit, a slight flatness. | 85

Cerro Chapeu Since 1752 Gran Tradición [90% Petit Manseng / 10% Viognier] Montevideo Uruguay 2017 (14% ABV)

JG | A fleshy, generous wine with some pineapple, peach, and ripe pear fruit. The acidity is there, but the dominant feature is the bold, rich fruit with rich, lush texture. Has lovely depth and generosity to it, but perhaps giving a bit too much away. | 88

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PR | Deep lemon with golden hints—again, a pretty deep hue for a 2017 vintage. Engaging, expressive aromas of roasted red apple, mango, and acacia honey. Lively on the palate, jaunty almost, broad but vivacious and spicy. Marries breadth of flavor with lively zip and spice. Could be a little finer, a little better integrated, but there is plenty of wine here. Fades a little too fast on the finish. | 90DW | Full, ripe nose, with generous stone-fruit and nice succulence on the palate, really characterful and easy, but lifted and electrified by a spine of tangy acidity. Lengthy, clean finish. Attractive. | 91

Bodegas RE Chardonnoir [Chardonnay / Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2016 (12.5% ABV)

JG | A rich nose of mandarin, orange peel, and whisky leads to a bold, zippy palate showing keen lemon and grapefruit with a hint of marmalade, and a bitter, pithy finish. This is intense. Difficult to drink and a bit unbalanced. | 84PR | Some depth to the hue. Intriguing aromas. Somewhat dusty initially but then it opens up with aromas of roasted red apple, woodsmoke, furniture polish, and yeasty/bready tones. Rich, generous attack, with a vibrant acidity underscoring it. Real minerality and grip, some tannins, too. An eclectic blend but an intriguing wine with lots to recommend it. Will age well. Has shades of Jura or flat Champagne to it—structured, urgent, complex, savory, long. And real character here, too. You really want to keep drinking, but also to stash a few away in the cellar to see where it goes. And put it with all kinds of food. Cheese gougères?! Oh yum. Lovely wine. | 94DW | An intriguing blend and approach that works beautifully in a wine that starts with savory almond-nuttiness, crisp red apple and just-ripe berries and which has a dynamic feel on the palate, with a sudden undertow-pull when its vivacious fresh acidity kicks in. Evolving, luminous, delightful. | 93

Erràzuriz The Blend Collection [70% Roussanne / 15% Marsanne / 15% Viognier] DO Valle de Aconcagua Chile 2016 (12.5% ABV)

JG | Attractive nose meshing some cedar and vanilla notes with ripe pear and citrus fruit. This has a bright, linear palate with attractive white-peach fruit and some crisp citrus. A compact and attractive wine, in a modern, fruit-forward style. | 89PR | Pithy green-apple aromas. Some apricot and apple fruit. Juicy, relatively generous, well-made Rhône-style blend. Elegant texture. Apricot-kernel note. Well-made and rewarding. | 90DW | Very classic white Rhône-blend style, with touches of nougat, blossom, and quince jelly, but with a wave of teasing, mouthwatering acidity, and with flesh but not an ounce of fat. Nourishing, savory, gastronomic: really impressive. | 92

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Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc Cenizas de Laberinto Maule Chile 2018 (12.5% ABV)

JG | Delicate but full nose showing a distinct tomato-leaf green note and some citrus and passionfruit prettiness. The palate is overtly green, with a strong methoxypyrazine character. Very linear and bright. Perhaps just a bit too green? | 85PR | Fabulously expressive and different. Pure lime pith with fresh fennel and pressed herbs. Smells like walking through a pine forest after rain. Invigorating. Pure, crystalline, invigorating acidity, a touch of anis to the citrus-fruit charge. It’s so pure and linear and thrilling—it will benefit from age. Love this style, it’s really characterful and unique. Such wonderful palate structure, that’s where the wine shines. And so pure on the finish, it’s so long and electric. | 93DW | Full-on febrile acidity, with a real hit of lemon and lime citrus. It packs a punch of acidic intensity, but it’s so finely drawn and energetic in an edgy and seafood-partnering way. | 91

Lapostolle Collection Muscat Cerro Verde Valle del Itata Chile 2016 (11.5% ABV)

JG | This is already full of interest. There’s a table-grape and lime-jelly fruitiness, but also a nice citrus drive, along with some mineral, salty characters. Has prettiness but also seriousness, with a long, lemony finish and nice acidity. Lovely stuff. | 91

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PR | Some depth to the hue. Orange-marmalade and ginger-biscuit aromas. Some grape jam, too. Fairly abrupt. Some decent grip and oxidative complexity but it’s relatively limited. Dry. Decent but fairly old now, so the fruit is fading. Has good phenolic grip and acidity, though, and isn’t just a fruit bomb, so there is some appeal here. Relatively limited ultimately, though. | 93DW | Wonderfully complex and engaging Muscat, showing an old-vine intensity and depth of flavor, with evocative notes of mint, fennel, and custard apple, there’s a hint of chew to the texture and a salty-mineral character that keeps the mouth alert. Excellent, funky-artisan modern winemaking. | 93

Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc DO Lo Abarca Valle de San Antonio Chile 2018 (14% ABV)

JG | Generous style, with some ripe pear and fig hints, as well as some nicely grainy citrus fruit. Has a richness and sweetness to the fruit. Has some subtle green hints, but this is a rich style with real generosity. | 89PR | Complex, intriguing aromas of roasted fennel, pink grapefruit, green apple. Sweet fruit on the palate, with herbal tones and a dry, spicy finish. A lot of wine here, very structured and intense, very typical of its terroir (Lo Abarca) with a salty/savory finish. Punchy, engaging, rewarding. Invigorating. | 92DW | With its delightful ripe blackcurrant and leafiness, this is made all the more succulent and appealing, with a pulse of citrus-juiciness. This is a classically luminous Pacific Coastal Sauvignon. | 90

Ritual Supertuga Block Chardonnay Casablanca Valley Chile 2017 (13.5% ABV)

JG | Intense, with a lively, limey core and some rich pineapple notes. Intense, spicy, and vivid, with bracing acidity. This really needs some time to sort itself out; it’s all over the place at the moment—a wall of somewhat disjointed flavors. But it does have potential. | 93PR | First bottle: restrained aromas, slightly dull, rooty, undergrowth. Seems as though it might be scalped. Second bottle: more nutty, appley brightness on the nose. Juicy, cogent palate, with spicy hints on the finish. Good grip and focus here. It’s not overdone, instead cleverly put together and hits the right notes in terms of freshness, savory complexity, and finish. Really impressive. | 92

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Ten years ago, if we’d done the same tasting, I don’t think I’d have come away feeling at all excited. But there were a lot of wines here that really interested me, and this, after all, is what we are looking for in fine wine: something to stimulate us and provoke conversation. As is often the case, it’s not the most famous grape varieties that, once transplanted, excel. It’s great to see Semillon getting some recognition.

JAMIE GOODE'S VERDICT

Via Revolucionaria Semillon Hulk Mendoza Argentina 2015 95

Mendel Semillon Argentina Mendoza 2016 93

Montesco Verdes Cobardes [Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon / Viognier / Chardonnay] Tupungato Valley Mendoza Argentina 2013 93

Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay High Altitude Vineyards Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 93

Erràzuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay Aconcagua Costa Chile 2016 92

Bodegas RE Velado [Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2012 92

Riccitelli Semillon Old Vines Patagonia Argentina 2017 92

Salentein Chardonnay Single Vineyard San Pablo Estate Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2016 92

Terrazas de los Andes Torrontés High Altitude Vineyards Argentina 2018 92

Lapostolle Collection Muscat Cerro Verde Valle del Itata Chile 2016 91

Ventisquero Tara Atacama Chardonnay DO Atacama Valley Chile 2016 91

Calyptra Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc Alto del Valle Cachapoal Chile 2016 90

Cono Sur Valley Collection Reserva Especial Riesling DO Valle del Bío-Bío Chile 2018 90

Leyda Riesling Single Vineyard Neblina DO Valle de Leyda Chile 2015 90

Viñedo de los Vientos Arneis / Chardonnay Canelones Uruguay 2016 90

Juan Carrau Petit Manseng Gran Reserva Montevideo Uruguay 2016 89

Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc DO Lo Abarca Valle de San Antonio Chile 2018 89

Erràzuriz The Blend Collection [70% Roussanne / 15% Marsanne / 15% Viognier] DO Valle de Aconcagua Chile 2016 89

Guaspari Chardonnay Vista do Lago Espirito Santo do Pinhal Brasil 2016 89

Tabalí Talinay Sauvignon Blanc DO Valle de Limarí Chile 2018 89

Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Vino de Parcela Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2016 89

TOP WINES

VERY FINE OPEN NOSE OF TOAST, MEAL, AND CITRUS, WITH A TOUCH OF CASHEW NUT. THE PALATE IS GENEROUS, COMBINING SWEET PEAR AND PEACH FRUIT WITH BRIGHT CITRUS, AND WELL-INTEGRATED OAK. IT’S QUITE A CROWD-PLEASER ON THE ONE HAND, WITH ITS RIPE FRUIT AND OAK, BUT THERE’S ALSO SERIOUSNESS HERE, AND DELICACY AND FINESSE, TOO. VERY STYLISH AND AMBITIOUS

FABULOUSLY EXPRESSIVE AND DIFFERENT. PURE LIME PITH WITH FRESH FENNEL AND PRESSED HERBS. SMELLS LIKE WALKING THROUGH A PINE FOREST AFTER RAIN. INVIGORATING. PURE, CRYSTALLINE, INVIGORATING ACIDITY. IT’S SO PURE AND LINEAR AND THRILLING—IT WILL BENEFIT FROM AGE. LOVE THIS STYLE, IT’S REALLY CHARACTERFUL AND UNIQUE

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Jamie Goode JG | Peter Richards PR | David Williams DWtasting / savor / South America’s Finest Whites

DW | Immaculate fruit concentration beautifully in the service of drinkability; this is a wine with a real livewire energy, which works so well in tandem with the almost crunchy apple fruit and subtle honey-toastiness and long, long, pristine finish. | 92

Sterras de Bella Vista Riesling Colchagua Andes Chile 2016 (11.5% ABV)

JG | Citrus, toast, honey, and pith on the nose. Has intensity. The palate is dense and pithy, with very high acidity and good concentration of flavor. A bone-dry, intense, and slightly austere wine. Too intense and a bit unbalanced for my palate. It’s certainly impressive, but I might find it hard to drink. | 88PR | Reticent initially but the aroma crescendos in the glass, opening and unfurling to reveal gorgeous baked green-apple and lime aromas, with notes of freshly baked bread. Urgent in its keen green-apple acidity, dense and long and complex. This is bravura Riesling, fabulous in its freshness, crystalline purity, and uncompromising style. Very dry. Could benefit from 5–15 years of age. A real star, mineral and pure. | 95DW | Showing a hint of development, this is a little on the skinny side, lacking a little in mid-palate flesh and energy; it has that Riesling acid spine (and how) but it’s wincingly deployed. | 86

Tabalí Talinay Sauvignon Blanc DO Valle de Limarí Chile 2018 (13.5% ABV)

JG | Delicately poised, with layers of flavor, and some appealing lemon and mandarin fruit meshing well with refined tomato-leaf greenness. Clean, crisp, and intense, with nice acidity. Green, but it works well. | 89PR | Almost water-white. Classic aromas of dried green pepper and candied lime. It’s urgent in style, grippy and fresh, with a savory edge and finish. Very engaging. Lovely pea pod. Long, complex, and a well rendered, individual style of Sauvignon. Very Limari. Well-made and rewarding. | 92DW | Textbook Sauvignon, with a breezy easiness of elderflower and a tangy citrus spine. Pristine and balanced, highly competent rather than massively inspiring. | 88

Alto de la Ballena Viognier Sierra de la Ballena Uruguay 2018 (13.5% ABV)

JG | Linear and bright, with nice focus to the restrained white-peach and pear fruit. There’s a vivid citrus drive to the palate. Crisp, direct, and refreshing. | 88PR | Very pale. Engaging aromas of fresh apricots and peaches. Succulent palate, good mouth-filling fruit flavors, but also well-centered with some refreshing acidity here. This is a really well-made Voognier, in a fresher style than some classic iterations, but all the more drinkable and moreish for it. Fruit-forward but elegantly textured, deftly handled. Very satisfying. | 91

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DW | Pretty white-peach and subtle white-flower aromas, this is Viognier in fresh and focused mood, although the quality of the fruit is lovely: pristine, very attractive and drinkable. | 89

Aristos Duquesa d’A Grand Chardonnay du Chili Cachapoal Valley Chile 2013 (14% ABV)

JG | This is deeply colored, and it’s a bold wine, with some coffee and toast on the nose, alongside some lime oil and incense. The palate is broad, with the peachy, toasty richness countered by some citrus brightness. Nutty and evolved, this is a bit all over the place. It’s very rich, with lots of everything, and it hasn’t developed in a very interesting way, alas. | 84PR | Deep hue, golden lemon. Rich, buttery aromas, with roasted nuts. Glazed apple fruit. Some honeyed evolution, too. Complex, fine, savory. The alcohol is notable on the finish—would be great to have that dialled down a notch or two because, while the broad shoulders in the wine do sustain it, you sense you couldn’t drink too much without falling off your chair. Lovely acidity, nutty complexity, savory stylings. Impressive. | 92DW | There’s still plenty of life left here, in a wine that comes across like a white Rioja rather than a Burgundy: plenty of old wooden furniture oak and savory character, but it has a really sparky, luminous core; well-made in an engagingly and bravely different style. | 92

Concha y Toro Amelia Chardonnay Quebrada Seca Vineyard DO Limarí Chile 2017 (14% ABV)

JG | Nice weight here to the lemon, melon, and white-peach fruit, with some spicy, cedary, vanilla oak in the background. It’s quite a pretty, expressive wine, but at the moment the finish is all about the cedary, spicy oak. Lovely fruit expression, so I hope the oak will integrate in time. | 88

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Navarro Correas Alegoria Gran Reserva Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2015 (12.7% ABV)

JG | This has a touch of vinyl to it, and it impacts on the fruit purity. Reduced? Pineapple, herb, and citrus fruit, with a bitter pithy edge. Quite hard-going, with too many angles. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of fruit here. | 86PR | Doesn’t seem hugely evolved for a 2015. Elegant, restrained aromas of blanched nuts and red apple. Well-integrated palate profile, juicy fruit renders it lively and focused, with elegant complexity derived from the nutty, leesy texture. Classy. Pretty long. Rewarding, mezzo forte style. | 91DW | Ripe stone-fruited palate, with a very attractive honeyed nuttiness and frangipane character, but good balancing freshness and a swish of bright acidity; full-flavored but graceful, and long. | 89

Terrazas de los Andes Torrontés High Altitude Vineyards Argentina 2018 (14% ABV)

JG | Beautiful nose, with table grapes and herbs, and some floral detail. The palate is really bright, citrussy, and expressive, with nice crispness. This has a slight salty edge, too. It’s a beautiful, expressive, detailed wine showing precise flavors and excellent balance. | 92PR | Pale hue, but expressive aromas: grape jam and hints of aniseed and honey. Clean, fairly vibrant. But somewhat unyielding and hard-edged. Needs more give, more generosity. Not too phenolic but seems like a fair amount of winemaking here. | 84DW | Classic, unmistakeable Torrontés nose, but it’s very cleanly delineated; it makes you think of summer flowers rather than soap or

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PR | Nutty, earthy, appley style. Good fresh acidity, grippy and tense. This plus the savory complexity renders it a classy style, nicely put together, classic Limari Chardonnay but not too shouty. A leesy, creamy edge to it all. But fresh and moreish. Well made. | 90DW | Nice clean-cut style, with a luminous mix of orchard and citrus fruit and a lipsmacking brightness. Rather simple in the company, but very pleasant drinking. | 88

Maycas del Limarí Quebrada Seca Chardonnay Valle del Limarí Chile 2017 (14% ABV)

JG | The nose has a strong vinyl/cabbage reductive edge to it right now, which dominates the fruit. The palate is more promising, with a good core of citrus and pear fruit. Linear but with some peachy generosity, and good balance. Just needs the reductive character to pass and this will be really good. | 87PR | All a bit exaggerated. Melon fruit and then balsa, sour-cream woody aromas. Mismanaged oak here. Palate has some decent freshness and fruit but it’s all a bit overshadowed and overburdened by the oak. | 86DW | Wonderfully layered and harmonious, with a ripple of shiny-bright fruit (a Limari hallmark it seems today) and impressive fruit intensity plus some savory-toasted notes and a silky textured feel. Long in the finish, very good. | 93

Montesco Verdes Cobardes [Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon / Viognier / Chardonnay] Tupungato Valley Mendoza Argentina 2013 (11.5% ABV)

JG | Fine, bright citrussy nose, with some elderflower detail and a slight, but well-integrated, green streak. The palate shows clean, refined citrus fruit with some passionfruit exoticism and a nice acid drive. A really stylish, well-made wine that has it all. Potentially ageworthy, too. | 93PR | Glazed citrus-rind aromas. Doesn’t sing—seems to be lots of things here but lacks clarity. Seems fairly rich on the palate, maybe it’s the age or a touch of RS, but it’s a little confected and contrived. Fruit is drying out on the finish. Not bad, and with the right food this could go down nicely. But it lacks the cohesion and cogency to be great. | 93DW | An Alsace in the Andes spice box, with a nicely judged floral dimension and a broad and succulent but focused and tangy palate—nice length and detail and an easy pleasure to drink. | 90

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South American whites may not be top of the fine wine hunter’s shopping list. But perhaps it’s time for a rethink as this proved a thoroughly rewarding and engaging tasting. The standard was high across the board and the diversity, elegance, and quality were notable. It was heartening to see the accent firmly on elegance and freshness across a range of styles. Some of these wines are the kind that will polarize opinion—the sense of winemakers pushing boundaries is palpable—but that is precisely as it should be when the parameters of what is possible and what is best are still in the process of being established. Crucially, these are bottles that inspire emotional and intellectual engagement. There was a time not long ago when this would certainly not have been the case. How welcome this evolution is.

Chile provided the lion’s share of the wines. Riesling delivered varietal typicity yet also a sense of thrill. While it’s not the most commercial of propositions, Chile should persist with this variety, especially in cooler extremes, as it can and will give fabulous results. The diversity of style as

well as ambition in Sauvignon Blanc was another positive point, from pure crystalline unadorned styles, to richer oaked iterations. Similarly, Chardonnay (so often a nadir in times gone by) delivered freshness, diversity, and excitement, from Atacama to Malleco via Andean heights and Pacific freshness. Some eclectic wines featuring Pinot Noir and also a Rhône blend made this an excellent showing of what Chile can offer in terms of variety and adventure in its whites. A focus on freshness, nuance, elegance—and daring to be different—are all encouraging trends in Chilean white wine making.

Argentina shone with Semillon and Chardonnay—again, where the accent was on freshness and harmony. Uruguay in six wines covered a huge array of grape varieties and styles, from succulent, spicy Petit Manseng, to a scented but tense Gewurz/Chardonnay/Moscato blend, via pithy Arneis and toothsome Viognier. Uruguay’s whites are an increasingly compelling proposition. It would have been good to see a broader selection from Brazil, where there have been promising developments of late.

PETER RICHARDS'S VERDICT

Bodegas RE Velado [Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2012 97

Calyptra Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc Alto del Valle Cachapoal Chile 2016 95

Sterras de Bella Vista Riesling Colchagua Andes Chile 2016 95

Leyda Riesling Single Vineyard Neblina DO Valle de Leyda Chile 2015 94

Bodegas RE Chardonnoir [Chardonnay / Pinot Noir] Casablanca Chile 2016 94

Viñedo de los Vientos Estival [60% Gewurztraminer / 30% Chardonnay / 10% Moscato Bianco] Uruguay 2017 94

Juan Carrau Petit Manseng Gran Reserva Montevideo Uruguay 2016 93

Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc Cenizas de Laberinto Maule Chile 2018 93

Riccitelli Semillon Old Vines Patagonia Argentina 2017 93

Ventisquero Tara Atacama Chardonnay DO Atacama Valley Chile 2016 93

Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Chardonnay Malleco Valley Traiguen Chile 2015 93

Aristos Duquesa d’A Grand Chardonnay du Chili Cachapoal Valley Chile 2013 92

Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc DO Lo Abarca Valle de San Antonio Chile 2018 92

Ritual Supertuga Block Chardonnay Casablanca Valley Chile 2017 92

Tabalí Talinay Sauvignon Blanc DO Valle de Limarí Chile 2018 92

Alto de la Ballena Viognier Sierra de la Ballena Uruguay 2018 91

Erràzuriz Las Pizarras Chardonnay Aconcagua Costa Chile 2016 91

Navarro Correas Alegoria Gran Reserva Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2015 91

Cerro Chapeu Since 1752 Gran Tradición [90% Petit Manseng / 10% Viognier] Montevideo Uruguay 2017 90

Concha y Toro Amelia Chardonnay Quebrada Seca Vineyard DO Limarí Chile 2017 90

Erràzuriz The Blend Collection [70% Roussanne / 15% Marsanne / 15% Viognier] DO Valle de Aconcagua Chile 2016 90

Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay High Altitude Vineyards Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 90

Terrazas Zuccardi Fosil San Pablo [Chardonnay] Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 89

Casa Valduga Raizes Sauvignon Blanc Campanha Brazil 89

Viñedo de los Vientos Arneis / Chardonnay Canelones Uruguay 2016 87

Leyda Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Garuma DO Valle de Leyda Chile 87

Familia Deicas Preludio Barrel Select Lote No.22 [Chardonnay / Viognier / Sauvignon Gris / Pinot Grigio] Juanico Canelones Uruguay 2018 87

Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Sauvignon Blanc Malleco Valley Traiguen Chile 2016 86

TOP WINES

URGENT IN ITS KEEN GREEN-APPLE ACIDITY, DENSE AND LONG AND COMPLEX. THS IS BRAVURA RIESLING, FABULOUS IN ITS FRESHNESS, IN ITS CRYSTALLINE PURITY, AND IN ITS UNCOMPROMISING STYLE. VERY DRY. COULD BENEFIT FROM 5–15 YEARS OF AGE. A REAL STAR

BEAUTIFUL NOSE, WITH TABLE GRAPES AND HERBS, AND SOME FLORAL DETAIL. THE PALATE IS REALLY BRIGHT, CITRUSSY, AND EXPRESSIVE, WITH NICE CRISPNESS. THIS HAS A SLIGHT SALTY EDGE, TOO. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL, EXPRESSIVE, DETAILED WINE SHOWING PRECISE FLAVORS AND EXCELLENT BALANCE

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Jamie Goode JG | Peter Richards PR | David Williams DWtasting / savor / South America’s Finest Whites

talcum powder. There is a touch of spiciness on the palate, and there’s so much fun here and character and aromatic, South East Asian food-compatibility. | 90

Via Revolucionaria Semillon Hulk Mendoza Argentina (10.5% ABV)

JG | This is quite deeply colored, with a slight haziness. It has an intense citrussy nose with some nice spicy detail. The palate has amazing freshness, concentration, and poise, with a lovely mineral core and a slight saltiness, as well as pure citrus fruit. A thrilling wine that should age effortlessly for 15–20 years. Finishes with finely chiselled acidity. | 95PR | Deepish lemon hue. Evolution notable in the aromas—honeyed tones, dried herbs, and fruit as well as fresher elements. Dry but fairly short, too. Shame! Limited scope on show here, despite some decent Semillon character. Drink soon, I would suggest. | 85DW | Super-bright and tangy, a sour-lime attack that seems rather tight and ungiving for now—is it in a difficult stage? There’s excellent concentration, but not a lot of detail or finesse at the moment. | 88

Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Chardonnay Malleco Valley Traiguen Chile 2015 (13% ABV)

JG | Toasty and quite refined on the nose, with some rich pear and peach fruit. The palate has a sort of crystalline structure to it, offering bold pear and white-peach fruit. A bit figgy, with some pineapple notes. Bold and fruit-forward in style. | 93PR | Engaging aromas of red-apple and fresh cream. A hint of woodsmoke. Bright fruit, well-integrated nutty, spicy tones. This is very grippy, very focused, and with a line of brisk acidity running right through it. Invigorating. Young—this will unfurl and develop over time. Classy and complex. With a lovely complexity and texture from the winemaking. Excellent Chardonnay from Chile’s deep south wine country. | 93

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DW | Honeyed golden apple fruit, a little faded. There’s still a bright core of acidity here, although it doesn’t feel entirely harmonious. There’s a tiredness creeping in; best drink up. | 87

Viñedo de los Vientos Arneis / Chardonnay Canelones Uruguay 2016 (14% ABV)

JG | This wine is delicate and bright, with a core of lemony acidity, as well as hints of wax and dried herbs. There are some lovely savory thyme and rosemary notes, which mesh well with the linear, slightly pithy citrus fruit. Convincing stuff. | 90PR | Perfumed apple-rind and lime-blossom aromatics. Very Arneis. Gently pithy, green-apple flavors. Fresh, upfront, elegantly made. Simple and focused, but makes a virtue of simplicity. Not particularly long. I’d hope this wasn’t too expensive, as it’s a lovely, fresh, simple, food-friendly wine, expressive of its varieties and the Canelones terroir. | 87DW | Super-bright and nimble, with a charming almond and almond-blossom character, lovely luminous acidity, and a precise, almost mineral finish. | 90

Zuccardi Fosil San Pablo [Chardonnay] Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2017 (13.5% ABV)

JG | There’s a subtle cabbagey edge to the bright citrus and pineapple fruit. It’s quite a linear, focused wine, with bright acidity, a slightly bitter, pithy edge, and unfurled fruit. Give this a year or two in bottle and it might be in a happier place. An ambitious wine that is just a bit awkward at the moment. | 93PR | Fruit-forward style, with bright, peachy, appley aromas. Good crunchy fruit, well-balanced and moreish. Could use a touch more savory complexity to bump it up into a higher level, but in this fresh, juicy style it’s hard to criticize. Very appealing, bright, food friendly. I’d rather have this than many an overoaked, overambitious Chardonnay any day. | 89DW | Super-nervy acidity, slightly jumpy and twitchy—this is a linear style, but there’s some flesh to go with it, some good concentration here, racy and tingling, without entirely charming this taster. | 90

Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Vino de Parcela Chardonnay Mendoza Argentina 2016 (13% ABV)

JG | Zippy, bright, and linear, with amazing focus.

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Salentein Chardonnay Single Vineyard San Pablo Estate Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2016 (13% ABV)

JG | Restrained, but with lots of appeal, showing ripe pear, green-apple, and pineapple notes, as well as subtle bread and toast. Has density, focus, and precision as well as some generosity. Lovely fruit here, which isn’t obscured by oak. Very stylish wine. | 92PR | Fairly deep hue, with pale golden hints in the lemon hue. Reticent aromas, hints of honey. Palate is vaguely juicy, with some nutty, honeyed complexity. It’s fairly four-square and predictable, nothing particularly exciting here, it ticks boxes but not much else. Needs to focus on the basics—acidity, complexity, refreshing line and core, but building round that for nuance. As it stands, this leaves me a bit cold. | 85DW | Clean and bright with the Andean sun, on the palate this has a citrus gummy tanginess and subtle toastiness. Very taut and linear as is the modern way, but perhaps just shading into austerity? | 88

Casa Valduga Raizes Sauvignon Blanc Campanha Brazil (12.5% ABV)

JG | Lively aromatics, with crisp citrus fruit and a faint hint of green. The palate is compact and quite dense, with sweet citrus notes as well as hints of fig and grapefruit pith. Dense and a little oily, but with nice brightness and intensity. | 88PR | Reticent but not unpleasant nose: hints of baked lime and gooseberry. Touch of herbal hints. Well-balanced, fine-textured, food-friendly. Lovely, elegant, understated style of SB. A touch of evolution in its succulent style, with hints of baked cream. Crisp, uplifting finish. Deftly made

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in this style, albeit could do with a touch more length on the finish. Smart, though. | 89DW | Restrained, tight, and glassy Sauvignon, with a core of lemon-citrus fruit and good length. Clean and precise. | 87

Viña Aquitania Sol de Sol Sauvignon Blanc Malleco Valley Traiguen Chile 2016 (12.5% ABV)

JG | Notes of fig, toast, and honey on the nose suggest a little development. The palate has some richness to it, with more of the honey and toast characters, as well as sweet fruit. Finishes with a twist of citrus. A rich, slightly developed style. | 87PR | Fairly rich, lactic nose. Herbal hints and tangerine rind. A bit gloupy and lactic, dumpy almost. Lacks the real zing and focus you want from SB. Not a bad style, and some people may like its juicy creamy style. But it’s not massively varietal or engaging. | 86DW | A slightly richer, broader style, with some savory interest in among the white fruit and a fine, needlepoint line of acidity. Seems to grow more intense in the glass, and the emphasis seems to be on structure and texture over obvious fruit, but with a natural brightness of character, too. Serious, needs food. | 90

Familia Deicas Preludio Barrel Select Lote No.22 [Chardonnay / Viognier / Sauvignon Gris / Pinot Grigio] Juanico Canelones Uruguay 2018 (14.5% ABV)

JG | This is clean and correct, with some peachy notes and bright citrus highlights. There’s some softness here, with a touch of honeyed richness, and a bit of flesh, too. But it strays a little into neutral dry white territory. | 89PR | Broad appley aromatics, with a hint of creaminess to it. Slightly earthy undertone, too. Fairly lactic flavor profile on the palate, not a huge amount beyond this, other than faint appley undertones. The blend doesn’t really come together or sing in any particular way. It’s a decent, creamy-textured white but not much beyond this. | 87DW | Spiced pâtisserie cream and gentle floral characters; a mouthfilling pear-juiciness and fruit richness on the palate that is freshened up nicely on the longish finish. Bright and clear. Very drinkable. | 89

Guaspari Chardonnay Vista do Lago Espirito Santo do Pinhal Brasil 2016 (13.5% ABV)

JG | This wine is bright and quite delicate. There’s some oak here, offering some richer vanilla and subtle cedary notes, but also lovely brightness and poise to the fruit. It finishes quite nutty and oaky, but there’s a degree of integration here, and the fruit is really fine and expressive. Has the potential for mid-term development. | 93PR | Buttery, creamy nose. A touch of orange-rind complexity. Bright, bubbly, effusive style.

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Ambitious, too, in its extravagant use of oak. Hint of anis. Creamy, lactic flavors dominate on the palate. Some good appley intensity but the fruit just falls short. I’d like to see less overt oak character, and more savory intensity to match the fruit. Some good elements but overdone. A little short. | 85DW | Tropical fruit and banana creaminess, a touch of fudgy toffee and buttery oak but decent freshness and length and some supporting acidity. | 85

13,5%vol

Pássaro, fio e Espírito Santo do Pinhal - Brasil - Hot-stamping ouroGUASPARI - Silk-screen preto, tal como nos rótulos anteriores.2016 - Off-set Pantone 871C / Demais infos - Off-set preto

The following two wines arrived after the main panel tasting but were tasted, not blind, by David Williams:

Susana Balbo Signature White Blend Mendoza Argentina 2017 (13% ABV)

DW | The blend is a third apiece Sauvignon, Semillon, and Torrontés, and initially it has a very Graves-y feel, with a ping of fleshy grapefruit, but there’s something more exotic, too: peach and guava. Very smart, with great depth of fruit, and richness without excess fat: poise, clarity, length, and a wash of cool-river mineral freshness. Would be interesting to come back to in years to come, but this is really very attractive now. | 93

Bouza Riesling DO Pan de Azucar Uruguay 2017 (13% ABV)

DW | Very clean, direct, pure—hints of minerals/salinity in there, and scintillating acidity. It’s perhaps a little austere now, tightly furled with not much flesh, but I like the clean lines, the burst of citrus, and the clarity. Everything is in place to age gracefully and rewardingly, too. | 89

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DELICATE FLORAL NOSE. MADE IN A TAUT AND LINEAR STYLE WITH ELECTRIC ACIDITY, BUT THERE’S REAL LUMINOSITY HERE, EXCELLENT CONCENTRATION SERVED IN A MOUTH-TINGLING STYLE. LONG CITRUS-AND-MINERALS FINISH

VERY CLEAN, DIRECT, PURE—HINTS OF MINERALS/SALINITY, AND SCINTILLATING ACIDITY. I LIKE THE CLEAN LINES, THE BURST OF CITRUS. EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE TO AGE, TOO

Tight, still, with a citrussy core and bright acidity. There’s an intense grapefruit-pith and lime finish here. It’s an ambitious wine, made in a very zippy style with keen acidity. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. | 89PR | Relatively simple, fruit-forward style, with a touch of grip and leesy complexity. Slightly earthy and chewy, acidity a bit punchy and hard-edged. Doesn’t sit easy, trying to be a fresh style but overdone. Less is more. | 83DW | Delicate floral nose. This has been made in a taut and linear style with electric acidity, but there’s real luminosity here, excellent concentration served in a mouth-tingling style. Long citrus-and-minerals finish. | 91

Cono Sur Valley Collection Reserva Especial Riesling DO Valle del Bío-Bío Chile 2018 (12.5% ABV)

JG | Delicate lemony nose, with nice poise and balance. The palate is bright and linear, with pure citrus fruits. This has intense flavor, but it is light on its feet. Dry, with keen acidity, but it avoids being austere. Lovely wine. | 90PR | Appley, lime-blossom nose. Fresh but fairly short and limited in scope. Dry. Crisp. Engaging. Give it a year or two and it might develop some more interesting character. | 85DW | Youthful and full of exuberance, there’s a burst of succulent exotic fruit here that’s extremely appealing, the palate full of zing and zip and energy, but with a steely spine and structure and real length. | 90

Leyda Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Garuma DO Valle de Leyda Chile (13% ABV)

JG | Compact and sweetly fruited with nice density of pear and white peach fruit, as well as some ripe mandarin richness. Pretty and expressive with keen acidity balanced nicely by the sweetness of the fruit. | 88PR | Restrained aromatics but decent structure and freshness on the palate. A lesser register but with juicy, vibrant green fruit and citrus acidity, and some pleasant richness of texture on the palate. Finishes somewhat short, ultimately. | 87DW | A relatively simple but focused and appealing Sauvignon, with the accent clearly on clean and penetrating citrus flavors, but with good length and good (sea) food compatibility as well. | 88

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