^TM

Veramonte reshapes Chilean fine wine

By Darryl Beeson

The Verampnte vineyard is the largest contiguous vineyard in Chile. It stretches over 350 hectares in the prime growing area of Chile's Casablanca Valley. In 1990, Agustin Huneeus chose this site for Veramonte recognizing that the microclimates and soils of this valley are similar to California's prestigious Napa Valley's Carneros winegrowing region. They carefully manage yields by "dropping crop," controlling irrigation and experimenting with different pruning techniques. They limit yields to 5-7 tons per hectare, resulting in highest quality grapes with intense flavor and concentration. More information is at www.veramonte.com.

Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley 2005
Price $10                    
Rating 92
The nose is vibrant with grapefruit, grass and melon. The sip enters with soft grapefruit and mineral in the long length on the palate. "Casablanca Valley in Chile is the premier place in the southern hemisphere to grow Sauvignon Blanc," proclaims wine maker Rafael Tirado. "It ripens to perfection with rich fruit flavors complemented by lively acidity. Our Sauvignon Blanc grapes are grown in our estate vineyards with well-drained, sandy decomposed granite and alluvial soils. Warm days and cool nights are the signature conditions of the dry growing season."

Serve this crisp white with boneless chicken breast (pounded, breaded and crisply sauteed, served in a citrus butter), with pasta in a cream sauce, or with harder cheese selections like thinly sliced Romano. Then again, enjoy this crisp, grassy white alone, as a refreshing apertif.

Veramonte Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley 2004
Price $14.99               
Rating 89
The nose is balanced with apple, pear and soft oak influences. The sip is crisp and refreshing, with treefruit and tropical melon in the mix. "Veramonte's Casablanca Valley is surrounded by coastal mountain ranges creating a diversity of unique microclimates and terroirs," says wine maker Rafael Tirado. "Its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean provides ideal growing and ripening conditions for Chardonnay. The valley floor provides a cool Carneros-like climate, while the terraced hillside blocks have warmer temperatures, similar to the northern Napa Valley.

Pair this Chardonnay with all kinds of pasta, especially in a seafood sauce, roasted chicken with fresh herbs, veal sausage with brown mustard, or with a chicken Caesar salad.

Veramonte Reserve Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley 2003
Price $20
Rating 93
The nose is powerful with pear, and assertive, toasty oak. The sip is more gentle and elegant with flavors of pear, apple, and toasty hazelnut in the long, but delicate length. 90% of this Chardonnay was fermented in French barrels. The acidity is crisp making this an excellent wine for pairing with food.

Serve this important white wine with lusty prawns in citrus butter, firmer fleshed fish, or with pasta in a cream based sauce.

Veramonte Reserve Merlot, Casablanca Valley 2002
Price $20
Rating 91
The nose is bright with spiced plum and wild berries. The sip leads with raspberry, plum the mocha richness rises along with soft oak and mineral complexity. Serve this limited production Merlot with lamb in a spiced berry sauce, or with venison in a juniper and black pepper sauce, with grilled green onions.

Veramonte Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley 2002
Price $20
Rating 93
The nose is powerful and complex with cassis, black fruit, leather, mineral and Bordeaux-like pencil shavings. There are flavors of dark fruit, soft oak and tannins, with leather and mineral in the long, elegant finish. Serve this red with tender, rare filet of beef in a mushroom sauce with cheese polenta, or for fun with gourmet meatloaf.

Veramonte Primus Red, Casablanca Valley 2003
Price $18
Rating 92
The blend is composed of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere, approximately broken down into thirds. The nose is big with ripe plum, mulberry and spice. Then there are flavors of red cherry, leather, pepper and exotic Asian spice within the long length on the palate. Serve this vibrant red wine blend with grilled pork in spiced fruit sauce, grilled lamb, or with pasta in a lusty red meat sauce.

The winery at Veramonte is a state-of-the-art, modern winemaking facility designed by one of Chile's foremost leading architects, Jorge Swinburn. Opened in 1998, the close to 8,000-square meter winery includes the latest technology in bottling lines, gravity-fed fermentors and ultra-modern stainless steel tanks. It is also designed for small-lot winemaking, allowing separate fermentation and aging of individual vineyard blocks and experimental vineyard plots. Watch this winery in the near future.

Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for great wine values. In the past, he has been wine steward or cellar master for The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Voltaire, and The Adolphus Hotel. Not one for stuffiness or secret handshakes relative to wine, this Texan might now be described as a "ki-yi-yippee sommelier, sommelier." Beeson reports on wine, spirits, food and travel for numerous publications.

Back to TravelLady Magazine