Errazuriz - Late Harvest - Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Vintage

The challenging vintage of 2016 performed different scenarios through the season, with a cool spring and a warmer than average summer. A rainy and cool October was followed by pleasant spring days in November, promoting a healthy flowering and fruit set. At the beginning of the summer temperatures gradually increased, reaching during January temperatures higher than the historical averages. February was warm, with oncoming sunny weather interspersed with cool morning fog, prevailing through to the end of the growing season. All of this conditions delivered wines of outstanding vivacity and character.

Tasting notes

Beautiful yellow gold color. Intense aromas of honey, ripe apricots, almonds and citrus. In consistency with the nose, aromas of ripe fruits with fresh citrus notes stand out in the mouth. It is a round wine, creamy and very long, very well balanced by a refreshing acidity.

Technical information

Composition: 86% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Gewürztraminer
Alcohol: 12%
PH: 3.17
Residual sugar: 92 g/lt.
Ageing: 10 months in Oak barrels French used
Total acidity: 8.27 g/L

Vineyard

The grapes for our Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest come from vines that were planted in 1992 in our La Escultura vineyard. The soil has a sandy-loam texture with a high percentage of stones, which results in low vigour potential in the vineyard. The property is located in Casablanca Valley, near the Pacific Ocean. The coastal influence moderates temperatures during the ripening period, while the cool ocean breezes blow into the valley allowing the grapes to ripen uniformly and gradually, helping to preserve their aromas and flavours and ensuring good acidity levels.

Winemaking

This wine is made with grapes that were handpicked very late after a careful selection of only the most suitable bunches according to the proper amount of noble rot they reached. All bunches were whole-cluster pressed; 60% of the must was fermented in stainless steel tanks and the rest was fermented in second-use French oak barrels. After fermentation, approximately 60% of the wine was aged during 10 months in French oak barrels of second and third use.

Chile Aconcagua Valley