Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc

Vineyard

The vineyards that produce this wine are located in the Leyda Valley, approximately 15 km from the Pacific coast on moderately sloping hillsides, with granite soils that contain a significant presence of clay. The vines are planted at a density of 5,555 plants per hectare and trained to vertical shoot position. Pruning aims to achieve low yields (up to 7,000 kg/ha) and slightly early ripening. The leaf canopy was kept intact to maintain good bunch cover, which allowed the fruit to reach harvest with high levels of aroma in the skins.

HARVEST

16 March-4 April. The season began with a very cold, dry winter, that gave way to a cool spring that provided little rain, greatly affecting productivity in the coastal region of Aconcagua. Fruit set and weight of bunches was low in quantity at harvest. This drop in yield, in addition to slow ripening caused by cool summer temperatures in Leyda, produced grapes with concentrated aromas and flavours, allowing for the production of wines of the highest quality.

VINIFICATION

The grapes were harvested in the early morning hours and immediately transported to the winery. Once there, bunches were destemmed and grapes selected, before being moved to cool maceration tanks, where they remained at temperatures below 10 oC (50 oF) for at least 10 hours, to extract aromatic components from the skins. The juice was then separated from the skins and racked into static decantation tanks, where it remained for 12–24 hours, before further racking left behind any large solids. The clean juice was inoculated with selected Saccharomyces cereviciae yeasts, and a non-Saccharomyce yeast that helps the production and liberation of aromatic precursors in the wine. Alcoholic fermentation took place at temperatures of 11o–12 oC (54o–55 oF) for 21 days, allowing control of the speed of fermentation kinetics. Once fermentation of the sugars in the must finished, sulphites were applied to the wine and it was racked to separate the smaller solid particles. The wine had no contact with oak during its production. To prepare the wine for bottling, it was protein stabilized using low doses of bentonite, and cold static stabilized to prevent excessive precipitation of tartrate crystals. In the final step, the wine was passed through sterile membrane filters to ensure a long and healthy life after bottling.

TASTING NOTES

The wine presents a pale yellow colour; clean and bright. The aromas are intense, with fresh white fruit predominating, including pineapple, yellow guava, and grapefruit. There is also a subtle note of fresh green chili pepper and tomato leaf, both very characteristic of the Leyda terroir. On the palate, the wine is fresh and crisp, with a natural acidity well balanced with the body and mineral flavours, leaving a long finish.