Morandé Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2019
Aromas of pear, green apple, and floral and citrus notes, as well as dried fruits and toasted hazelnuts. Great freshness and volume, but delicate, with a delicious balance of acidity and fruit, long persistence and elegance and structure provided by partial fermentation on the lees.
The grapes come from specific vineyards of Morandé's Belén agricultural land, in the Lo Ovalle sector in Casablanca. The soils are granitic clay, with quartz present, flat topography and low fertility. The climate is temperate cold, with notable marine influence due to the closeness of the Pacific Ocean that permits a slow ripening with an elevated development of aromas and a fresh acidity.
The grapes are harvested by hand. 40% of them are fermented with their skins to obtain a final wine with more structure, and the rest are pressed directly in whole clusters to achieve a higher-quality must. Cloudiness during fermentation is kept high to obtain a wine of great complexity and volume. Fermentation takes place in barrels of 300 and 500 litres and in 4,000-litre foudres of French oak and acacia wood, and the wine remains in them for a total of 10 months.
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Serve with | smoked salmon, swordfish or white poultry meat |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Casablanca |
| Grapes | Chardonnay 100% |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
Morandé was founded in 1996 by Pablo Morandé, and found immediate recognition both domestically and abroad. Morandé are true pioneers – they were the first family to develop the Casablanca D.O., recognising the fantastic potential of this cool-climate wine region. They also led the way in reviving old viticultural regions such as Maule and Itata, working with old dry-farmed bush vines and unconventional varieties such as Carignan, País and Cinsault. All of the wines are produced with grapes from Morandé’s own vineyards. Their winemaking philosophy is guided by seeking the right terroir for each grape variety, and with significant vineyard holdings they are well placed to achieve this.
