The good news about these four wines just keeps on coming. All are imported into the US by González Byass USA, who sent these wines to us as tasting samples, and are part of the González Byass family of wines. That’s good news because these wines are widely available in the US and all are under $20, mostly by quite a bit.
All are made with organic grapes and certified by ECOCERT as well as Certified Sustainable by Wines of Chile. All of this is well and good but the wine in the bottle must match up to the story behind it.
2019 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, Casablanca Valley, Chile — pale yellow in the glass with aromas of salt and fresh cut grass. Flavors begin with gravelly minerality then salty citrus, dried hay and fresh cut grass. Juicy acidity keeps this wine so sippable. 13.5% abv. SRP $11.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc, night harvest, stainless steel fermentation all to preserve fruit and freshness. What I enjoy most about this Sauvignon Blanc is that even though it is from a cool climate, it isn’t overly herbaceous.
2018 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, Chile — yellow-green in the glass with flinty, citrusy aromas. Flavors follow with lemony citrus, more flint and minerals that finish with a saline quality all supported by juicy acidity. The finish is very long. 14% abv. SRP $19.99
100% Sauvignon Blanc whole-cluster pressed and fermented in concrete eggs, natural oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged in all vessels for eight months with lees stirring every other week based on the biodynamic calendar. Once again, a delicious, fresh, mineral-driven style of Sauvignon Blanc without too much herbaceous flavor.
2018 Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva, Casablanca Valley, Chile — translucent ruby in the glass with aromas of raspberries, brambly blackberries, mushrooms and a hint of smoke. Flavors include raspberries, brambly blackberries, earth and dried tobacco leaf. Tannins are smooth in a barely medium body. 14.5% abv. SRP $12.99
100% Pinot Noir, night harvest, 15% whole-cluster fermentation, open top fermenters using only native yeasts. A pleasing, easy drinking Pinot Noir that shows good varietal character.
2018 Veramonte Carménère Reserva, Colchagua Valley, Chile — dense ruby in the glass with violet rim and generous aromas of blueberries and, dried bay leaf and crushed flower stems. Flavors lead with ripe blueberries, blackberries, crushed flower stems, earth and spice. Tannins are drying in a medium body. 14.5% abv. SRP $11.99
100% Carménère de-stemmed and cold macerated for five days in open top stainless steel tanks and fermented with native yeasts. The wine is left on the skins for a further 10 days after primary fermentation then moved to neutral French oak barrels for 8 months. Carménère’s notorious green bell pepper flavors are absent here, but in its place is an appealing dried bay leaf flavor and the fruit flavors aren’t overripe. Yay to that.
All except for the Veramonte Carménère are sealed with screw caps, making them easy to finish the next day or beyond. We stoppered the Carménère with a rubber stopper and it was fine the next day.
Thanks to Donna White Communications for organizing the delivery of these wines and to González Byass USA for providing them to us.
Cheers!
