A Taste of Coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Chile

Chile’s physical statistics are remarkable. It has a shoreline that stretches about 2700 miles from its northern boundary with Peru to Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. At its widest, Chile is only 217 miles and averages a width of only 110 miles. 

Based on its geography from west to east, Chile’s growing regions can be divided into three sections: intermountain valleys of the coastal range, valley floor and western slope of the Andes. Chile’s Denominations of Origin are identified from north to south and many wine zones take their names from for the numerous rivers that formed them as they course their way from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the complex topography, breezes from the Pacific Ocean blow inland and air descends from atop the Andes mountains toward the Pacific Ocean. 

A major cooling factor along Chile’s coastline is the cold Humboldt Current that flows from the South Pacific Ocean northward along the coast until it mixes with warmer waters near the equator. The Humboldt Current is the largest of the World’s oceanic currents in terms of the distance it carries water. The Humboldt Current creates one of the richest fisheries off the coast of South America with notable biodiversity. The current is generally cold, but warms during El Niño cycles. 

The Humboldt Current keeps temperatures cool along the coast and relatively similar along Chile’s long coastal wine-growing region. The large cold mass of the current creates evening fog, that can last until mid-day along the coast. This cool coastal fog slows ripening and keeps acidity high in the grapes. Coastal areas that are low elevation (flat) are the coolest and receive the maximum effect of coastal fog. Areas where the coastal range of mountains rise to block the fog receive more sun and are warmer. As a result of distance from the ocean and topography (the height of the hills, direction of the valleys and elevation) there is a complex patchwork of unique terroir along Chile’s coast. And we haven’t even talked about soil types.

The best way to understand Chile’s complex coastal regions is by tasting the wines. After enjoying a detailed presentation by Joaquin Hidalgo, wine columnist for La Nación, Argentina’s newspaper of record, and South American editor at Vinous.com, I participated in a tasting of six Chilean coastal wines. We received these wines as tasting samples.

Limarí Valley

We began our exploration with three wines from the Limarí Valley. Conditions here are very dry, it’s a desert, and drip irrigation is used in the vineyards. Photos of the vineyards show cactus in the wild spaces around the vineyards. The terrain is hilly and coastal fog regularly covers the area. The soil is poor, with silt and clay on top of calcareous clay. This combination of desert conditions, coastal fog and limestone in the soil is unique not only to coastal Chile, but to all of Chile.

2023 Miguel Torres Cordillera de los Andes Chardonnay, Limarí Valley, Chile —light yellow with aromas of barely ripe pears and peaches. flavors include citrus zest, pears and stoney minerality with juicy acidity and a round, creamy texture. Rich and lean at the same time. $20

The vineyard is only 7.5 miles from the ocean and planted in the soils described above. The wine is fermented in French oak barrels and aging took place in a mix of new and used French oak barrels.

2022 Vina Concha y Toro “Amelia” Pinot Noir, Limarí Valley, Chile — translucent ruby with lightly floral aromas with strawberries, cherries and earth. Flavors include mixed red fruit and earth with drying tannins in a just-medium body. Very fresh and delicious. 14 % ABV. SRP $55

Along with veins of calcium carbonate, the soils in the Quebrada Seca vineyard are alluvial with clay and gravel.The vineyard is just 13.6 miles from the ocean. The Pinot Noir was fermented in stainless steel; half were de-stemmed and half were whole-cluster fermented. The wine aged for 12 months in French oak, only 10% new.

2021 Vina Santa Rita “Floresta” Chardonnay, Limarí Valley, Chile — light yellow with aromas of struck match initially, then citrus zest and grapefruit. Flavors include citrus zest, tart fruit with gravelly minerality and a bit of roundness. Tart acidity lingers. 13.1% ABV. SRP $20

Soils in the Floresta vineyard are similar to those of Quebrada Seca, but the vineyard is located further inland, 17.5 miles, but still benefits from morning fog and cool afternoon breezes. Chardonnay grapes were pressed and tasted in batches and separated according to taste and quality. Fermentation began spontaneously in stainless steel with temperature control. After fermentation the wine was transferred to French oak barrels and left on the lees for 10 months with periodic stirring. The wine aged for a total of 12 months in barrels, 30% went through malolactic fermentation, and the wine was kept an additional two months in stainless steel before bottling.

Aconcagua Valley

2020 Montes “Alpha” Chardonnay, Aconcagua Costa, Chile — light golden with aromas of underripe pears and grapefruit. Flavors include citrus zest, dried hay and grapefruit with juicy acidity and a bit of roundness. 14% ABV. SRP $24

Next we move to the Aconcagua Valley – another dry region requiring winter rainwater to be collected in reservoirs and used for irrigation during the dry growing season. This Chardonnay is a blend of vineyard sites in two locations: Casablanca and Leyda. Soils here in the coastal mountains are decomposed granite high in iron. The Casablanca site ripens earlier (it’s 18.6 miles from the coast) with riper fruit flavors and Leyda (6.8 miles from the coast) contributes flavors from slower ripening. The wine is a blending of two clones, 76 and 95. Clones were only introduced to the region in 2000.

Winemaking was also complex for this Chardonnay which was whole-cluster pressed, de-stemmed and pressed, or cold-macerated for a few hours before settling and fermentation in tanks. 35% fermented in French oak and 25% went through malolactic fermentation.

2023 TerraNoble “Algarrobo” Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley, Chile — light translucent ruby with aromas of cranberries, strawberries and baking spice. Flavors include red cherries, dried mint, a bit of earth and hints of leather in a just-medium body with fresh acidity. 13% ABV. SRP $15

The Las Dichas area is the coolest part of Casablanca because of its close proximity to the ocean and lack of hills to impede the cool breezes and fog. This wine is a blend of clone 777 and Guillaume. Fermentation took place in small batches with both whole-cluster, de-stemmed grapes and carbonic maceration. The wine aged for six months in barrels and foudres.

2020 Garces Silva “Boya” Pinot Noir, Leyda, Chile — translucent ruby with earthy, red fruit aromas. Flavors include dark cherries and earth with a bit of toast. Tannins are smooth in a medium body with tart acidity. 13% ABV. SRP $20

The Garces Silva winery is located only 8 miles from the ocean. This vineyard was planted in 2003 to three clones of Pinot Noir: 828, 777, 115 and some old massal selections. Vineyard soils are granitic and the vineyard faces the ocean. Fermentation took place in stainless steel with wild yeasts. The wine aged in old oak barrels, concrete eggs and stainless steel tanks.

Discussions of whether a particular vintage is warm or not do not apply much to the coastal areas of Chile according to Joaquin. Thanks to the Humboldt Current, even if a vintage is very warm in the interior valley, the coast remains cool. All of these wines have notable freshness and acidity and are definitely reflective of cool growing conditions.

We received the tasting samples in 187ml bottles packaged by Master the World. Wine education is the focus at Master the World using tasting kits sent right to your door. You can taste the wines blind or discover the identity of the wines ahead of time. You can also tune in to webinars with or without wine. Check out the website for the many ways to learn about wine with sommeliers.

Thanks to Creative Palate Communications for organizing our tasting.

Cheers!