The last time that I was in Chile, I can recall being on pins and needles. We were sent down as a contingent of good will and with the main goal of renewing a US distribution contract for the Santa Rita Winery for another five years. Our meeting was with Mr. Ricardo Claro who is a business tycoon in Chile. Although publicly traded, Mr. Claro controls Vina Santa Rita, Carmen Winery and has a significant share with the Rothschilds in the Los Vascos Winery. Mr. Claro owns the major bottle producing facility in Chile, owns a radio and television station as well as controlling a long term lease for the main port of Chile. He is obviously a very busy man and one who has less patience than most. Even though he was renewing our contract, it never seemed like we could do enough to please him. Mr. Claro is a traditionalist who hoped that his winery would carry itself the in the same manner that a traditional Bordeaux Chateau would. Santa Rita produces some very nice wines although things did not change very quickly or progressively there as Mr. Claro had to sign off on virtually everything. Export managers rarely lasted more than a few years. And now for something completely different……………..
As I blog, I am currently traveling in Chile with Senor Pulgar and his Crackberry. I arrived here in Santiago on Monday morning and proceeded to spend Monday evening at the Cono Sur manor house in Chimbarongo which is in the Colchagua Valley. The manor house has been refurbished from its long history and has some nice modern touches to it. Cono Sur’s manor house is not a shrine but is a celebration of the estate’s past as well as its future. Although owned by the same family that owns Concha y Toro, Cono Sur is free to experiment with new wine regions, grape varieties as well as new techniques in the winery. The average age of Cono Sur’s employees is somewhere in the low 30’s which is more akin to a dot-com company than what they now are; a substantial winery.
The Southern Cone; and we’re not talking vanilla swirl ice cream here… The Cono Sur name refers to the winery’s geographic origin; it represents wines made in South America's southern cone, on whose western edge lie Chile and its numerous wine valleys. Cono Sur Vineyard & Winery was founded in 1993, with the specific goal of producing premium, expressive and innovative wines conveying the spirit of the new world. The wines that they produce are as they say ‘distinct wines without the emphasis of ancient family trees or bottles covered with the dust of time.’ Cono Sur embodies a fresh and contemporary approach to viticulture and winemaking combined with passion for quality and innovation that cannot be denied. Cono Sur is strongly into organic and sustainable viticulture. The geese up top are eating vine pests (burritos) so that Cono Sur doesn't have to spray the vines with chemicals. Stay tuned for new offerings with 'organic' designations.
Proving that they are progressive and indeed ahead of their time, the most exciting project at Cono Sur is their program with Pinot Noir. This project was happening long before the movie ‘Sideways.’ Cono Sur began their Pinot Noir project in 1999, with the idea of producing the finest Pinot Noir in Chile. After that goal was achieved, they set out to create a world quality Pinot Noir that is unique, expressive and yet still indicative of its new world roots. Old world expertise comes from Martin Prieur of Domaine Jacques Prieur, the seasoned Pinot Noir winemaker who was integral in helping Cono Sur to select many of the best Chilean terroirs for Pinot Noir and who guides them on how to optimally care for these vineyards. Under the radar, Cono Sur may have become the most sustantial producer of Pinot Noir in the world; this years estimate is one-quarter of a million cases. I'm sure that the most popular bumper sticker in the Cono Sur parking lot is 'Gracias Sideways!'
Grapes from the selected Pinot lots are harvested by hand and carried in small containers to the sorting table. After a thorough check, bunches are de-stemmed taking extreme care not to crush the berries. The fruit is then placed in open top fermentors where they undergo carbonic maceration (whole berry fermentation) at very low temperatures, for around seven days. In the next stage, grapes are carefully foot trodden and color extraction is enhanced by manual punch downs of the cap. Once the primary fermentation is finished, the wine is racked by gravity to new French oak barrels where they will complete the malolactic conversion.
Wine Warehouse has just received in four of Cono Sur’s selections: Starting with Pinot Noir…….
Cono sur ‘Vision’ Pinot Noir 2005 is fresh, elegant and aromatically intense. This wine is everything a good Pinot Noir should be, and more. Sporting a beautiful, bright ruby red color, it comes from a Rapel valley corner whose foggy, cool microclimate and balanced stone-clay soils that are recognized as a unique site for the variety. Fruit notes of cherry, strawberry, black plum and raspberry combine with a hint of dark chocolate, floral and earthy tones filling the mouth. The wine finishes with a silky and nicely structured flow. Please tell me if you find another ten dollar Pinot Noir wine on this planet that can touch this. Hammer time!
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Pinot Noir 2006, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 the grapes for this Cab come exclusively from the Maipo valley which is Chile’s oldest and felt by many to be its finest growing region for this variety in Chile. This deep ruby red colored wine displays intense and complex aromas of cassis, plum, cherry and wild berries, enhanced by hints of black pepper and smoke. It has a full bodied core of flavor in the mouth, combining with round and ripe tannins that lead to a long and persistent finish.
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Cabernet Sauvignon Range 2005, has a deep and impressive ruby-red color. This Cabernet is round, mouth-filling, to-the-point and flavorful. Notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cherry fill the nose, with hints of vanilla, and a smokey tone. This value wine has beautiful structure, balance, with an elegant length to it.
Cono Sur ‘Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Retail $9.99 Warehouse $7.99
Cono Sur Vision Sauvignon Blanc is born of crisp Sauvignon Blanc grapes produced from new plantings in a vineyard in the the exciting Casablanca Vineyard that is only only 5 miles from the sea. There is a spectacular ocean view from the top of its vine-covered hills. The strong Pacific Ocean influence and the red clay soils contribute to style this refreshing, crisp, fresh and pungent offering. This 'Savvy' sports notes of lemon-lime and grapefruit, with fresh and bracing acidity, mineral tones and a hint of passion fruit. It's finely balanced and great value.
"Grassy, citrus and fennel. Elegant, almost sancerre-like. Grapefruit and herby, with incisive acidity. Well balanced, long."
Decanter magazine, September 2006.
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
I guess it’s time to head to Argentina. Buenos blogos……..
As I blog, I am currently traveling in Chile with Senor Pulgar and his Crackberry. I arrived here in Santiago on Monday morning and proceeded to spend Monday evening at the Cono Sur manor house in Chimbarongo which is in the Colchagua Valley. The manor house has been refurbished from its long history and has some nice modern touches to it. Cono Sur’s manor house is not a shrine but is a celebration of the estate’s past as well as its future. Although owned by the same family that owns Concha y Toro, Cono Sur is free to experiment with new wine regions, grape varieties as well as new techniques in the winery. The average age of Cono Sur’s employees is somewhere in the low 30’s which is more akin to a dot-com company than what they now are; a substantial winery.The Southern Cone; and we’re not talking vanilla swirl ice cream here… The Cono Sur name refers to the winery’s geographic origin; it represents wines made in South America's southern cone, on whose western edge lie Chile and its numerous wine valleys. Cono Sur Vineyard & Winery was founded in 1993, with the specific goal of producing premium, expressive and innovative wines conveying the spirit of the new world. The wines that they produce are as they say ‘distinct wines without the emphasis of ancient family trees or bottles covered with the dust of time.’ Cono Sur embodies a fresh and contemporary approach to viticulture and winemaking combined with passion for quality and innovation that cannot be denied. Cono Sur is strongly into organic and sustainable viticulture. The geese up top are eating vine pests (burritos) so that Cono Sur doesn't have to spray the vines with chemicals. Stay tuned for new offerings with 'organic' designations.
Proving that they are progressive and indeed ahead of their time, the most exciting project at Cono Sur is their program with Pinot Noir. This project was happening long before the movie ‘Sideways.’ Cono Sur began their Pinot Noir project in 1999, with the idea of producing the finest Pinot Noir in Chile. After that goal was achieved, they set out to create a world quality Pinot Noir that is unique, expressive and yet still indicative of its new world roots. Old world expertise comes from Martin Prieur of Domaine Jacques Prieur, the seasoned Pinot Noir winemaker who was integral in helping Cono Sur to select many of the best Chilean terroirs for Pinot Noir and who guides them on how to optimally care for these vineyards. Under the radar, Cono Sur may have become the most sustantial producer of Pinot Noir in the world; this years estimate is one-quarter of a million cases. I'm sure that the most popular bumper sticker in the Cono Sur parking lot is 'Gracias Sideways!'
Grapes from the selected Pinot lots are harvested by hand and carried in small containers to the sorting table. After a thorough check, bunches are de-stemmed taking extreme care not to crush the berries. The fruit is then placed in open top fermentors where they undergo carbonic maceration (whole berry fermentation) at very low temperatures, for around seven days. In the next stage, grapes are carefully foot trodden and color extraction is enhanced by manual punch downs of the cap. Once the primary fermentation is finished, the wine is racked by gravity to new French oak barrels where they will complete the malolactic conversion.
Wine Warehouse has just received in four of Cono Sur’s selections: Starting with Pinot Noir…….
Cono sur ‘Vision’ Pinot Noir 2005 is fresh, elegant and aromatically intense. This wine is everything a good Pinot Noir should be, and more. Sporting a beautiful, bright ruby red color, it comes from a Rapel valley corner whose foggy, cool microclimate and balanced stone-clay soils that are recognized as a unique site for the variety. Fruit notes of cherry, strawberry, black plum and raspberry combine with a hint of dark chocolate, floral and earthy tones filling the mouth. The wine finishes with a silky and nicely structured flow. Please tell me if you find another ten dollar Pinot Noir wine on this planet that can touch this. Hammer time!Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Pinot Noir 2006, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 the grapes for this Cab come exclusively from the Maipo valley which is Chile’s oldest and felt by many to be its finest growing region for this variety in Chile. This deep ruby red colored wine displays intense and complex aromas of cassis, plum, cherry and wild berries, enhanced by hints of black pepper and smoke. It has a full bodied core of flavor in the mouth, combining with round and ripe tannins that lead to a long and persistent finish.Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
Cabernet Sauvignon Range 2005, has a deep and impressive ruby-red color. This Cabernet is round, mouth-filling, to-the-point and flavorful. Notes of blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and cherry fill the nose, with hints of vanilla, and a smokey tone. This value wine has beautiful structure, balance, with an elegant length to it.Cono Sur ‘Range’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Retail $9.99 Warehouse $7.99
Cono Sur Vision Sauvignon Blanc is born of crisp Sauvignon Blanc grapes produced from new plantings in a vineyard in the the exciting Casablanca Vineyard that is only only 5 miles from the sea. There is a spectacular ocean view from the top of its vine-covered hills. The strong Pacific Ocean influence and the red clay soils contribute to style this refreshing, crisp, fresh and pungent offering. This 'Savvy' sports notes of lemon-lime and grapefruit, with fresh and bracing acidity, mineral tones and a hint of passion fruit. It's finely balanced and great value."Grassy, citrus and fennel. Elegant, almost sancerre-like. Grapefruit and herby, with incisive acidity. Well balanced, long."
Decanter magazine, September 2006.
Cono Sur ‘Vision’ Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Retail $13.99 Warehouse $9.99
I guess it’s time to head to Argentina. Buenos blogos……..
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