Talinay Caliza Chardonnay 2022

This vineyard is located in the Limarí Valley, a privileged area just 12 km from the Pacific Ocean, where a cool and constant sea breeze blows. These exceptional conditions result in significantly lower temperatures than the rest of the valley, making it the coolest-climate vineyard in the entire Limarí Valley. The vines are planted in limestone soils. The soil is what makes Caliza unique: it is an old, highly porous limestone, originating from an ancient marine terrace now visible at the surface. From a small plot of 0.7 hectares, the wine embodies a mineral verticality worthy of the great white Burgundies.

The harvest is entirely manual. The carefully selected grapes were placed in small 20 kg crates to prevent oxidation. Fermentation takes place in used French oak barrels, with aging for 10 months .

This wine reveals aromas of green apple, ripe lemon, chamomile, Williams pear, toasted hazelnut, popcorn , and white flowers, underpinned by a chalky minerality typical of limestone soils. On the palate, the wine is taut, precise , and saline, with lovely freshness and a silky texture. The finish is long and vibrant, marked by notes of citrus and flint .

It was Hernán Cortés who ordered the cultivation of vines upon the conquest of Mexico in 1524. It gradually spread from Mexico southward, reaching Chile in 1555. During the first three centuries of colonization, only país, a characterless and very productive black grape variety, was cultivated in Chile. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that noble varieties were introduced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, mainly. Twenty years later, winemaking was modernized under the impetus of wealthy French landowners and experts who had been forced out of work by phylloxera in Europe. Chile stretches 4,300 kilometers from north to south. It is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and the Patagonian plains and glaciers to the south. These natural barriers prevented phylloxera from entering the country. Although the country is only 160 kilometers wide, it enjoys ideal conditions for growing warm, intermediate, and cool-weather grape varieties, so much so that it is often described as a vineyard paradise. With nearly 300 estates producing bottled wines, Chile ranks between 6th and 8th in the world.