Tag:

Limari

Reta

by Amanda Barnes December 16, 2023

RETA is the eponymously named winery and project of renowned Chilean winemaker Marcelo Retamal. Making excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Limari, as well as fantastic old vine Malbec from Maule, it is a boutique project but one well worth hunting down.

Marcelo, or ‘Reta’ as he is known by friends, also makes wines under his RETA label in Spain – in Sanlucar de Barrameda in Jerez, in Sierra de Francia, and in Rioja. Both the Chilean and Spanish wines are all single-site wines, specially selected for their distinctive terroir and expression.

The project all began in 2019, when Reta retired from his long-standing position as head winemaker at De Martino winery in Maipo.

December 16, 2023 0 comment

Interview with Felipe Muller, winemaker Vina Tabali of Limari

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Limarí wine region: A terroir talk with Felipe Müller, winemaker at Viña Tabalí

by Amanda Barnes September 2, 2021

written by Amanda Barnes

Viña Tabalí is the most renowned producer in the Limarí wine region of Northern Chile and winemaker Felipe Müller knows this exceptional terroir better than almost anyone. In this Terroir Talk, Amanda Barnes interviews Felipe all about the terroir of Limarí and what influences the different sub-regions of Limarí and makes it coastal wines so distinctive.

Felipe Müller discusses the differences between the river terraces of the main Limarí wine region compared to the limestone seabed of their famed Talinay vineyard. He also delves into the mountainous wine region of Río Hurtado on the boarder of Elqui and explains why the wines from this Andes wine region are totally different to the coastal wine regions of Limarí.

They also taste through four key wines for Viña Tabalí in a tale of different terroirs: their Talinay Chardonnay and their new Pai Pinot Noir from Talinay vineyard, and the Barranco Viognier and Roca Madre Malbec from Rio Hurtado. If you love Chilean wine, this is an interview not to miss.

September 2, 2021 0 comment

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Chile Vintage 2020 Report: A 2020 harvest no-one will forget

by Amanda Barnes April 13, 2020

written by Amanda Barnes

The Chile Vintage 2020 will be a harvest no-one will ever forget, not only due to an extremely early and hot season that was made especially challenging because of the ongoing drought, but also because it was impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic that broke out towards the end of harvest.

“This vintage is definitely one we will all remember,” says Emily Faulconer of Viña Carmen, who makes wine with grapes from all over Chile. “To start, it was marked by the very serious drought and a warmer winter than usual, which meant much earlier flowering in most vineyards. A hot year like this can be very challenging in terms of organisation, as the window for harvest is much smaller and more complex and you are harvesting red and white varieties at the same time. But in this case, it was a blessing in disguise – although we didn’t know at the time that we were about to face the Coronavirus pandemic – because it meant that most of our harvest was done by the time quarantine started.”

Harvest dates were brought forward by between a week and month in some valleys, meaning that most producers had brought in the vast majority of their grapes by late March when curfew and quarantine restrictions came in.

The earlier harvest was also aided by the decreased yields; there was a widespread reduction of between 20% and 30% caused by a combination of drought conditions, hot temperatures and significant losses from a bout of ferocious frost events in September, October and November — with several nights dropping below 0˚C each month in many regions of the Central Valley.

April 13, 2020 0 comment

guide to chilean wines and wineries in Chile: Viña Tabali in Limarí

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Tabalí

by Pablo Ortiz May 27, 2016

written by Pablo Ortiz

Viña Tabali is a risk-taking winery, planting 180 hectares of vineyards on virgin lands in an area that wasn’t well known for wine before they started in 1993. They hit gold though with chalky soils and cool, coastal conditions that are the key to their stellar Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc among other varieties including their top-of-the-range Syrah.

Tabali winery and vineyards is in one of the northern-most wine regions in Chile, Limarí, near the Fray Jorge National Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. If you are coming from La Serena, it is a day visit and is open to tourism where you can visit Tabalí winery and cellar and finish with an outdoor tasting overlooking the valley.

About Tabalí Winery

Back in 2002 when Chilean businessman Guillermo Luksic founded Viña Tabalí, he was taking a chance on an area that was largely unexplored in viticultural terms. His instinct paid off and today the Limarí Valley is gaining a reputation as one of Chile’s most exciting wine regions and Tabalí as one of its most emblematic producers.

The company, now led by Guillermo’s son Nicolás, remains largely focussed on the Limarí Valley with vineyards close to the ocean and in the Andean foothills, but in 2013, they also acquired a vineyard in the traditional Maipo Valley to produce high-end Cabernet Sauvignon.

The company has always sought to make quality terroir-focused wines. Nicolás explains, “what we are seeking is to produce high-quality wines that reveal their origin and transport the person tasting them to the soil and climate of Tabalí’s vineyards. That’s what my father always wanted to transmit.”

Tabalí’s winery building is visually quite stunning. Built in a ravine, it is intended to fit into its environment and to echo the way of life of the Molle people who once lived in this area. The stainless steel tanks stand in the open air, protected from the sun by a roof.

May 27, 2016 0 comment