Limarí Valley is one of the Northernmost winegrowing regions in Chile, located 200 miles (320km) north of the Chilean capital, Santiago. This location places it at a latitude of 30° South, well beyond the latitudes traditionally associated with winegrowing. To provide context, the equivalent parallel in the Northern Hemisphere passes through Egypt, Iraq and northern Mexico. Despite all of this, Limarí Valley is not Chile's most northerly region; a further 50 miles (80km) north Lies the Elqui Valley.
Chardonnay is the star Grape variety in Limari Valley wines, producing wines with a certain minerality thanks to the relatively cool Climate and the limestone content in the soil. Syrah is also successful here, producing savory styles in the cooler, coastal vineyards and fuller, fruit-driven styles in Warmer, inland sites. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – Chile's most successful varieties also feature, alongside the Chilean signature grape, Carmenère.
Because of its proximity to the equator (not to mention the world's driest desert – the Atacama), the Limarí Valley is hot and relatively Dry.
It is cooler and greener than the land on either side of it, thanks almost entirely to the narrow gap the Limarí River has created in the coastal hills. On either side of this gap, the coastal ranges rise to almost 2300ft (700m), preventing cooling Pacific breezes from reaching inland areas. On summer mornings, the coastal "Camanchaca" fog creeps through the gap and up into the valley. The fog refreshes the local vineyards with cool, moist air for much of the morning, until the sun has risen above the Andes and begins re-establishing the warm, dry, desert-like conditions with which northern Chile is more often associated.
Pinot noir is an important red grape variety in Burgundy and Champagne, and its reputation is well known! Great wines such as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti elaborate their wines from this famous grape variety, and make it a great variety. When properly vinified, pinot noit produces red wines of great finesse, with a wide range of aromas depending on its advancement (fruit, undergrowth, leather). it is also the only red grape variety authorized in Alsace. Pinot Noir is not easily cultivated beyond our borders, although it has enjoyed some success in Oregon, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
red wines from the region of Limarí Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of quick beef and cheese yakitori, couscous of meat and fish or forest rabbit.
The historic estate follows in the footsteps of Châteaux Angélus, Cheval Blanc and Ausone by withdrawing its candidacy from the upcoming classification. The Malet-Roquefort family, which has owned Château La Gaffelière for more than 300 years, said it ‘no longer recognises its values’ in the new criteria. The Malet-Roqueforts claimed that the overhauled rating system for the tasting ‘contradicts all the ratings obtained by Château La Gaffelière for several years by the greatest wine professional ...
Stephen Burton, 57, and Andrew Fuller, 55, face up to 20 years behind bars if they are convicted of duping the collectors. They set up a company called Bordeaux Cellars to conduct the alleged scam. It offered investors the chance to earn high returns by making collateralised loans secured against rare bottles of the world’s finest wines, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Screaming Eagle. However, the returns were ‘too good to be true’, according to court papers filed in New York by US di ...
Disconcerting: I couldn’t forget this bottle for days afterwards. Still can’t. Back in August, wine critic Lin Liu MW (together with her partner Philippe Lejeune of Château de Chambert in Cahors) came to dinner, en route to a short holiday in Provence. One of the bottles Lin brought for us to try together was the 2018 Les Rocheuses, Parcelles No 5 et 6, from Château Le Rey in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. It came in a slope-shouldered bottle, not a classic Bordeaux bottle. We tried it with some R ...
