Our Favourite Things: Chilean Whites

The new global generation of white wine has never been so refreshing, flavourful and articulate.

And nowhere is that more evident than in Chile.

Chile's White Wine Potential

Chile, so well known and loved for earthy, ripe reds, seems to be discovering its white wine potential. Well into the exploration of regions and sub-regions, winemakers are focusing on whites as the best vehicles for expressing the subtle differences of soil and climate. Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and a handful of aromatic whites are deployed in coastal valleys and at varying altitudes like never before. Strong identities have emerged in Casablanca, Leyda and the northern regions of Elqui and Limarí. This was evident on my last trip in 2007, but, three vintages later, when I visited this past year, the quest is for even greater differentiation and refinement.

Experimenting with Grape Growing Techniques

As before, growers are hyper-tuned to temperatures, diurnal shifts, light intensity, wind patterns, canopy management and clones, but the new level of inquiry is subterranean.

Everywhere I travelled, I saw calicatas or trenches dug down a few metres into the vineyards. Some wineries had a couple of holes, some dozens, and some hundreds, like the 700 that were dug at Montes throughout four years of planning hillside vineyards. Inspired by the soil guru Pedro Parra, the best producers are scrutinizing their top- and subsoils, and these trenches allow them do to so. The white wines — which allow soil nuances to show in a special way — have really benefitted. Any trace of calcareous soil (limestone being of short supply in Chile) is amplified with care and skill, creating a breed of whites with Chablis-like structure.

The Flavours of Chilean White Wines

Most of the 200 or so whites that I tasted were mineral-drenched and tangy, with reverberating flavour and often leesy dimensions. If oak was used, it was with a feather-light hand. The salty minerality of Leyda whites. The dusty chalk of Elqui. The lean-boned Limarí fruit with its taut acidity. The slow-ripened style of Casablanca. All show their well-defined characters.

This new and intimate understanding of their terroir made possible by the calicatas has translated into a lighter touch with the winemaking — keeping many Chilean white wines transparent enough to show geological subtleties in a special way.

Read about more of Our Favourite Things about wine.