Sample wines provided Quintessential Wines ~ Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2017
PREFACE – PART 1 ~ WHITE WINES
Wine samples come to to me as a single bottle. Some arrive in a package of two or three. On other occasions, a case (or there about) arrives. This is one of those instances. I’ll be breaking this two into two days of Whites and then red wines. They’re my wines for this week, and they come from all over the globe. I’m enjoying (and learning) so much about wines from around the world. This is a lovely experience, and so worth sharing. So, enjoy the ride.
- World Regions ~ FIRST
- HEART ~ THE WINERY: info is coming from the company’s own statements
- I can’t make up their history
- Nor am I to try
- SCIENCE ~ WINEMAKING ~ Same as above
- SOUL ~ Wine Blog’s SAMPLE NOTES FOR
Photo Credit: Iakov Filimonov ~ This is a Valle Hermosa view of Andes Mountains from the valley, Argentina, South America
World Region ~ CHILE, SOUTH AMERICA
Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2017 – 100% Sauvignon Blanc ** Certified Organic Grapes
HEART
From the Winery:
“We plan to achieve a long-lived vineyard, with vines that have reached a total harmony with their ecosystem, keeping in mind that the best results are still to come.”
This Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2017 is a very pale yellow color, with light green hues. The nose is complex and delicate, with aromas of citrus and tropical fruit such as mango, papaya, cherimoya and lime peel, intertwined with herbs notes. Refreshingly crisp on the palate, with concentrated fruit flavors and a fresh, salty acidity that finishes with a crisp, lingering minerality.
I thought I’d share an image of the “cherimoya” fruit. It’s not our everyday fruit, and I had never seen or heard of it. It’s very pretty, isn’t it?
SCIENCE
Winemaker Notes:
The grapes come from the “Valle Hermoso” (Beautiful Valley), located 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean, where the vineyards are planted on slopes and benefit from the cool maritime climate. This allows each clone to develop special characteristics. The predominant solid type is decompes granite, with a presence of mica on the upper tier.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dmytro Nikitin: background and texture concept – close up of granite stone surface
The deep subsoil is not heavy, allowing root penetration and balanced growing, thanks to the winery’s organic and biodynamic management. A careful manual harvest was carried out at the end of March. The grapes underwent a cold soak for six (6) to eight (8) hours before pressing under a layer of inert gas, preserving the grapes’ aromatic potential. Fermentation was conducted under controlled low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in contact with fine lees for four months. Fifteen percent was fermented in concrete amphora vessels (“eggs”) and neutral oak barrels, to enhance the mineral notes, texture, and mouthfeel of the final wine.
SOUL
PHOTO CREDIT: Jo Diaz ~ These are my neighbors, which I feed everyday. The fencing behind the birds is one for keeping deer from eating all garden plants and fruit.
With Chilean Matetic EQ Coastal Sauvignon Blanc 2017, For the first time, I was really struck by what a difference the Andes mountain range makes in flavors, between Chile and Argentina. It got me contemplating the Andes: “The average elevation in the Andes is about 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). The highest elevation in the Andes is Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, which is 22,841 feet (6,962 m) above sea level.” LINK TO LIVE SCIENCE
So, we’re not talking coastal influences in Argentina, BUT we ARE in Chile and “Valle Hermoso.” Matetic Vineyards is just eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. This makes it a cool climate Sauvignon Blanc. It shows that in it’s pale color of yellow… Beautifully pale. And, I did get the salty acidity – a bit unusual and yet very well integrated into its core. Just a hint of the Pacific along with a hint of mint… and the tropical sun fun flavors. The bit of oak that the wine lived in (four months) also rounded out how it tasted, especially on the finish. A lazy Saturday afternoon, birds all fed, feet up reading a good book, this is my sipping companion.
Highly Recommended.
Quintessential Wines Collection
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