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The Land Whispers… You Just Need To Listen
I love wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I dread wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I know, I don’t make much sense at the moment. Wine dinners are wonderful, and I really do love them. The dreadful part comes from the experience of not being able to write about those wine dinners in a timely fashion. “Timely fashion”, huh – there are wine dinners I never wrote about in 5 years and such memories can hunt you down – they definitely do for me. I don’t know why this is happening on a regular basis – the elation often experienced during open and engaging conversations about wine becomes an ephemeral spirit, woefully resistful and easily escaping the slightest attempt to capture it in the form of words…
Let’s see if I will be able to break my unsettling tradition.
Last week I had a wonderful time and experience tasting the wines of Viñedos Veramonte and speaking with Gonzalo Bertelsen, General Manager and Head Winemaker in a small group of wine lovers, around the dinner table at the Monterey Brasserie in New York. The conversation topics were ranging from low-alcohol wines (is that really a trend? Are people really asking for it or is that just a gimmick?) to the production of organic and biodynamic wines to “why Germans don’t want to drink organic wines from Chile” (I will not tell you why but you are welcome to guess) and to many other far and between. But most importantly we got to enjoy Viñedos Veramonte wines with and without the food.
Viñedos Veramonte was one of the first wineries in the Casablanca region, founded in 1990 by Agustin Huneeus, a Chilean wine pioneer. From the very beginning, the winery embraced organic viticulture – and more recently, the winery spent more than 6 years making estate vineyards officially organic certified, obtaining ECOCERT® organic certification, one of the most respected in the world. The project involved the conversion of more than 1,200 acres of vineyards in Casablanca and Colchagua valleys to organic and biodynamic farming, with the aim to also become fully Demeter’s biodynamic certified – which requires making changes in the winery, not only in the vineyard – plus importers also have to be biodynamic certified.
Viñedos Veramonte produces 4 distinct lines of wines – Veramonte, Ritual, Primus, and Neyen – all from organic grapes, of course. We had an opportunity to taste wines from all 4 lines.
We started with the 2022 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Casablanca Valley ($13.99 SRP). This wine has one of the biggest productions, and it is very important for Veramonte. Preserving freshness is paramount, so special care is taken to prevent any oxidation of the grapes and juice, and the wine is bottled as soon as possible. The wine was herbaceous and crisp, delicious on its own but also nicely supporting our first course – Grande Plateau of seafood containing oysters, clams, tuna tartare, and lobster. The Sauvignon Blanc pairing with the oysters was the best – and the oysters were delicious, probably my favorite component of the Grand Plateau.
Next, we moved on to the 2019 Ritual Chardonnay Casablanca Valley ($20.99 SRP, fermented in oak barrels and concrete tanks). I wrote about Ritual wines many times, last time only a few months ago – the wines are consistently delicious. The wine was paired with a choice of appetizer – crispy artichokes or barbecued prawns. I selected crispy artichokes, forgetting that artichokes are notoriously difficult to be paired with wine. The dish was delicious on its own, and the wine was also good – on its own.
We also tried the 2020 Primus Carmenere Apalta DO ($20.99 SRP) with our appetizer course. The wine was excellent and had a nice profile of cassis supported by the bell peppers, showing off the pyrazines. Some of the winemakers are trying to prevent the pyrazines from showing up by changing growing conditions, harvesting regime and more – but I personally enjoy the pyrazines’ flavor very much, it adds to the authenticity of the wine. While Carmenere was still not a perfect match for the artichokes, it offered a bit better pairing than the Chardonnay.
Now we were ready for the main course, and the new wine arrived.
Last December I had an opportunity to try for the first time yet another Veramonte wine called Neyen. Neyen vineyards are located on a small parcel of land situated between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range. Neyen wines are literally always a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Carmenere, both coming from truly the old vines – Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1889, joined by Carmenere in 1936, which makes the vines respectively 134 and 87 years old.
In the local dialect, Neyen means “whisper”. The land whispers, you only need to listen to her – low intervention is what the Neyen winemakers practice. And this is the whisper you can taste.
The wine literally stopped me in my tracks. You know that stupid smile that you can’t control when something good is happening? This was my face upon the first whiff of the 2003 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A) – the first vintage of Neyen wine ever produced. The time stopped – there was only the endless pleasure of aromatics that only mature wine can bring.
Time, wait. Don’t move. I’m still enjoying it. Please, just a few more moments.
Cassis and eucalyptus on the nose. Cassis and eucalyptus on the palate, silky smooth, perfectly integrated tannins, full body of the mature wine at its absolute peak, pleasure slowly descending layer after layer. This is the case where the words are clearly insufficient to describe the joy of the oenophile, but I hope I offered at least a glimpse.
For the main course, I selected Bluefin Tuna au Poivre with baby beets and citrus sauce – and to my delight, the 2003 Neyen offered a perfect pairing, elevating every bite of the food.
We also had the 2016 Neyen, Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A). Tasting 2016 after 2003 was somewhat of a mistake. 2016 is an excellent wine, but the beautiful core we were able to experience in 2003 was still covered by layers of baby fat, the wine showing a lot richer, almost jammy on the first sip, and in need of time to open up.
The culmination point of our evening, though, was … a bit unexpectedly, as we are talking about Chilean wines … the Malbec. 2019 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Malbec Apalta DO ($149.99 SRP). 2016 was the first released vintage of this super low-intervention wine – harvested and destemmed by hand, fermented in small tanks, no machines, no electricity used in the production of this wine, aging only in 3rd and 4th use French oak barrels. This is the crown jewel of the Veramonte Neyen collection – even James Suckling agrees, rating this wine at 100 points. Only 200 cases of the wine were produced in 2019, with the US allocation standing at 40 cases.
The main word I would use to describe this wine would be “elegant”. The wine was showing beautiful eucalyptus notes, a lot leaner than most of the Argentinian Malbecs, begging comparison with old world Malbec, the Cahors. Elegant, layered, delicious.
And this, my friends, brings us to the end of the wonderful evening. The company was great, the food was excellent, the wines were amazing.
Mother Nature whispers, and good things happen when we listen. I wish I had a case of this 2003 Neyen Espiritu de Apalta – that would really make me happy. Well, we generally don’t get to have all the things we want – and I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience such wines at least once.
Veramonte wines offer a great selection for every budget and every palate – check them out when you will have a chance. Cheers!
Neyen, The Spirit Of Apalta
What do you think of Chilean wines? Have you had Chilean wines which took your breath away?
While you ponder that, let’s talk about Chilean wines.
Nobody can question today’s grandstanding of the Chilean wines in the world. According to Wikipedia, Chile is 7th largest wine producer in the world and 5th largest exporter – the ranking positions change every year, but there is a clear growth trend for Chilean wines, both in terms of volume and value. And Chile is one of the worldwide leaders in sustainable and organic viticulture, setting a clear example for the rest of the wine-producing world.
Not changing the subject, but what do you think of organic wines? I remember that 10-12 years ago, organic wines were few far and between, and those proudly displaying “organic” on the labels were largely undrinkable. The situation changed, mostly unnoticeably, and I can say that today at least 25% of the wines I get to drink during a year are made with organic grapes, and this number is definitely higher if we are talking about the samples I receive for the reviews.
If we are touching memory lane, who remembers Chilean flagships, Fronterra and Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay available for around $10 in 1.5L size? Those were the stars of any party, taste being much less important than the price. And again, slowly but surely this all changed, and Chilean wines now commend the full respect of wine lovers around the world, on the level of prized Bordeaux, Napa Cabs, and Brunellos.
Now, the reason behind this little Chilean wine excerpt is my recent encounter with pure pleasure – you know how much I value that element of wine drinking – the wine should give pleasure, otherwise, what is the point of drinking it. The wine I want to share with you today is the 2017 Neyen Apalta Estate Chile (13.5% ABV, $64.99, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Carmenere, 14 months in 225L French oak barrels, 6 months in 3,000L foudres).
Neyen is a unique estate, a parcel of land situated between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range. Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted there in 1889, joined by Carmenere in 1936. Soils at this organically farmed, low-intervention vineyard provide good drainage, and the semi-arid climate allows for the slow ripening of the grapes, maybe with the assistance of the Neyen, the Spirit of Apalta. Grapes are harvested by hand at the first light, sorted, destemmed, and subjected to the magic of winemaking. In most of the years, the blend stays at a consistent 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Carmenere, even though in some of the years different proportions are used.
When I opened the bottle and poured the first glass, I was really unconvinced. The wine was drinkable but didn’t incite any “oh my god” reactions which I expected at least based on the price. I pumped the air out and put the bottle aside for the evening.
The next day, I pulled the stopper out, poured a glass and the very first whiff brought the sacred “oh wow”. The cassis and eucalyptus were enveloping the senses, making it impossible to put the glass down and promising a lot more to come with the sip. Wine requires time to be enjoyed, you can’t hurry it. Finally, after a minute or so of just enjoying the aroma, I went for a sip. To my delight, the aromatic experience continued in full force on the palate. More cassis, more eucalyptus, layers of dark fruit, and silky, soft tannins were making the taste buds dance. The experience was taking me precisely between the worlds – the precision and structure of the old world Bordeaux was perfectly coupled with the youthful exuberance of the new world Napa Cab. Don’t get me wrong – this wine doesn’t need Bordeaux or Napa references, this wine perfectly exists in a class of its own, a perfect combination of ungrafted French Cabernet Sauvignon from 130 years old vines and Chile’s own Carmenere. (Drinkability 9-)
Here you are, my friends. A superb Chilean wine that is sure to bring a smile to your face. With holidays or without, winter or summer – this wine has a lot to give. Magic of the Neyen, the Spirit of Apalta? I will let you find the bottle and decide on your own.
By the way, how about the question I asked you at the beginning? Can you name some Chilean wines that took your breath away?
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