Tabalí
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.
About Viña Tabalí’s Vineyards
TALINAY
This very special vineyard adjoins the unique Fray Jorge National Park, a green forest surrounded by desert. Its lush vegetation is thanks to the moisture brought daily by the Camanchaca sea fog – bringing up to 1000 mm of moisture per year to some areas. Located a mere 12km from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard also benefits from this cool, damp morning fog, which the sun and cool sea breezes disperse in the afternoons. This area was once underwater and has porous, fractured limestone soil, which the vines’ roots can explore easily and also is good at retaining moisture without the vines ever becoming waterlogged. To the south, the vineyard borders the River Limarí, from which it can extract irrigation water. The wines from Talinay are fresh and taut, thanks to the cool climate conditions and the limestone soils lend them a minerality that sets them apart.
TABALÍ AND ESPIRAL
These vineyards are also in the Limarí Valley, located on two alluvial terraces interrupted by large ravines formed by rivers that have long since dried up, leaving behind a mixture of stony alluvial soils, with veins of limestone dust brought down from the Andes. The vineyards are cooled by winds in the afternoons and this area is classed as a cool area for wine production. It is the soils that set the Limarí Valley apart from Chile’s other wine regions, as limestone produces very refreshing, mineral wines in a style quite different to those from the rest of the country, even cool areas.
The Tabalí vineyard was planted first and produces some interesting wines, such as Syrah, while the Espinal has more limestone in the soils and so the wines have a greater mineral element.
RÍO HURTADO
This Limarí Valley vineyard is quite different to the others, planted on an east-facing slope in the foothills of the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 1,600 meters. This means high solar radiation by day and cold temperatures at night, slowing down the grape-ripening process and resulting in fresher wines. The soils are volcanic in original and a mix of alluvial, transitional, granitic and, in the Roca Madre plot, fractured andesite rock, which allows the roots to explore the whole geological profile.
DOM
This is Tabalí’s only non-Limarí vineyard, located in the Maipo Valley, on a south-facing slope in the Coastal Mountain Range. This is a warm area but the vineyard faces south, away from the sun and is cooled by winds, so the climate is fresher than elsewhere in the Maipo Valley, slowing down the ripening a little. The soil is stony, with low fertility, making it a good match for the Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted there.
About Tabalí Wines
ROCA MADRE
A Malbec wine from the Roca Madre plot in the Río Hurtado vineyard at 1,600 metres above sea level. The wine has had 18 months’ ageing in French oak.
PAYEN
Old-vine Syrah-Cabernet Franc blend from the Espinal and Tabalí vineyards.
TRANSVERSAL
A red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, each variety from a different vineyard and vinified separately; then the wine has 20 months’ oak-ageing.
TALINAY
A range of three fresh, mineral varietal wines from the maritime-influenced Talinay Vineyard: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
BARRANCO
An elegant and aromatic Viognier grown at 1,600 metres above sea level in the Río Hurtado Vineyard.
TALUD
Cabernet Sauvignon from the DOM Vineyard in Maipo with 18 months in French oak.
MICAS
This is an old-vine Carmenère from Cachapoal with 18 months’ oak-ageing.
VETAS BLANCAS
A range of coastal-influenced varietal wines from the Talinay and Espinal vineyards. The Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, aromatic wine from the Talinay Vineyard. The Chardonnay, like the Pinot Noir, is a blend across two vineyards (the Pinot is 30% from Talinay and 70% from Espinal, while for the Chardonnay, the blend is 40:60) in a bid to add complexity. The Chardonnay was fermented and aged in barrels and underwent bâtonnage lend the mouth a creamy texture. The Pinot Noir, meanwhile, was destemmed, fermented in stainless steel barrels and then oak-aged for 12 months. The Syrah and Cabernet Franc are both from the Espinal Vineyard and spent at least 12 months’ ageing in French oak.
PEDREGOSO
This is Tabalí’s most extensive line, comprising Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Rosé from Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Syrah-Carmenère, Merlot, Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon.
About the Winemaker, Felipe Müller
One of the most experienced winemakers in Limarí and working for Tabalí winery since 2006, Felipe Müller has helped bring not only Viña Tabalí to the world stage but the wines of Limarí also.
With a focus on interpreting Limarí’s unique terroir, and working closely with their viticulturalist Hector Rojas, Müller’s winemaking style is respectful of maintaining the fresh acidity, fruit expression and vibrancy of the region. “I´m a winemaker that tries to respect and show in my wines the sense of the place as best I can,” says Felipe Müller.
“I’m a fanatic of terroir, and my biggest efforts is spent in understanding, identifying, separating and finding specific parts of the vineyards where I think that I have something interesting to vinify separately, looking at soil composition, grape variety, yield per plant, row orientation, etc. It finally ends up being a big puzzle of fine tuning.”
Felipe Müller is also General Manager of the company.
Visiting Tabalí Winery
Tabalí winery is open Monday to Saturday for tastings but they do recommend reserving in advance.
Full details and the booking form are on their website https://www.tabali.com/en/booking/
There are three tasting options: Pedregoso Gran Reserva Tasting, the Vetas Blancas Tasting or the Talinay Tasting. In each case, you can taste 2 wines from the specified range of wines, accompanied by dried fruit and nuts or, in the case of the Talinay tasting, with local goat’s cheese.
Tabalí’s wine shop is open Monday through Saturday, and there is an online wine shop at www.tabali.com
Videos of Viña Tabalí winery & vineyards
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Tasting notes
Prizes and Awards
Felipe Müller, Winemaker of the Year: Descorchados 2020
Top 100 Wineries: Wine & Spirits 2019
DOM Cabernet Sauvignon: 96 points Descorchados 2020
Talinary Malbec: 96 points Descorchados 2020
Talinary Sauvignon Blanc: 96 points Descorchados 2020, 94+ Robert Parker, Decanter Silver
Vetas Blancas Cabernet Franc: 96 points Descorchados 2020
Payen: 95 points La Cav & Descorchados, 92 points James Suckling & Robert Parker
Roca Madre: 94+ Robert Parker
