Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva Leyda Valley 2018 – Viña Echeverría

The grapes to produce Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva Leyda Valley Viña Echeverría were carefully selected before being crushed, destemmed and chilled to 8°C. Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva Leyda Valley Viña Echeverría cold skin contact maceration took place for two to four hours at controlled temperatures of between 8° to 10°C, to extract colour, flavours and aromas, resulting in a more complex wine. The grapes were gently pressed by pneumatic press; only the free run juice was vinified. The must was clarified by static sedimentation at 8°C for 24 to 36 hours, prior to vinification. It was fermented with selected yeast in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of between 11° to 15°C for 25 days, before being stored on its fine lees for two months. The wine was made in an unoaked style to showcase the purity of fruit.

The vineyards are located in the coastal Leyda Valley. It is situated between the towering Andes Mountains and the cool Pacific Ocean. Intense sunshine is tempered by cooling sea breezes allowing the grapes to achieve outstanding fruit aromas and exceptional colour concentration. The warm dry days and cold nights encourage a long growing season, which is ideally suited to produce healthy vines and grapes. Working with a model of micro viticulture, each plot, of no more than half a hectare, is identified according to its terroir and microclimate and planted accordingly. The rows are planted in an east-westerly direction, to maximise the sun’s exposure. Grapes are subjected to specific pruning, irrigation, canopy management and harvesting, which results in grapes of optimum quality and flavour. The soils are alluvial in origin, mostly clay loam and deep with good drainage. Manual harvest.

Viña Echeverria is a family-run estate winery, owned and managed by the Echeverría family. Established in 1930, but with an agricultural heritage going back to the 1700s, Viña Echeverría is as much today, as always, driven by a shared passion for winemaking and an uncompromising search for excellence. Viña Echeverría combines nearly a century of viticulture and winemaking experience with a modern state-of-the-art winery, to produce a range of over 20 quality wines from nine different grape varieties. It has recently been awarded its Sustainable Winery status by Wines of Chile, as well as its ISO9000 certification.