The flavor of prune in wine of Central Valley
Discover the of Central Valley wines revealing the of prune flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
The Central Valley (El Valle Central) of Chile is one of the most important wine-producing areas in South America in terms of Volume. It is also one of the largest wine regions, stretching from the Maipo Valley (just south of Santiago) to the southern end of the Maule Valley. This is a distance of almost 250 miles (400km) and covers a number of Climate types. The Central Valley wine region is easily (and often) confused with the geological Central Valley, which runs north–south for more than 620 miles (1000km) between the Pacific Coastal Ranges and the lower Andes.
A wide variety of wine styles and quality can be found in this large area, from many different terroirs. They range from the fashionable (and relatively expensive) Bordeaux-style wines produced in northern Maipo, to the older, more-established vineyards of Maule; from the coastal plains of western Colchagua to the Andean foothills of Puente Alto. With experimentation so popular in the modern wine world, however, it is the newer, cooler-climate areas which are receiving most attention, with the emphasis on the Andean foothills and the river valleys tempered by the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean.
The Central Valley is also home to a variety of Grapes, but plantings are dominated by the internationally popular Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Chile's 'icon' grape, Carmenère, is also of importance here, just as Malbec is to Mendoza, on the other side of the Andes. The cooler corners of the Central Valley are being increasingly developed, as winemakers experiment with varieties such as Viognier, Riesling and even Gewurztraminer.
Because the area covered is so large and the terrain so varied, the name 'Central Valley' on a label is unlikely to communicate anything specific about the style of wine in the bottle. Also, with a number of independently recognized sub-regions now in place (such as Colchagua and Cachapoal), most wines of any quality are able to specify their sub-region of origin rather than the Generic Central Valley.
I was with some wine students in Chablis, visiting the affable Guillaume Michel of Domaine Louis Michel. The 2018 vintage in Chablis was prolific, though Guillaume’s team pruned the vines as hard as normal. Guillaume has a little more than a half-hectare of the smallest of the grands crus, Grenouilles (8.74ha in production in 2018, most of which is controlled by the cooperative La Chablisienne): delicious in 2018. And, after a year’s pruning and vine-tending, after hand-harvesting and scrupulous ...
Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, a director at La Rioja Alta, said the company had acquired 35ha of old vines, with a minimum age of 45 years, in the village of Elvillar at an average altitude of 600 metres. He also said La Rioja Alta would buy more old vines this year, bringing total ‘artisanal vineyard’ acquisitions to a minimum of 5oha, and potentially up to 75ha, by the end of 2022. ‘We are buying very old vineyards, pruned in the traditional way with very low production, some of which are fi ...
The course will be taught by the masters of vineyard management, Simonit & Sirch, and their Master Pruner, Jacopo Miolo. Lake County sits north of California’s most famed region, the Napa Valley, but the techniques being taught by Miolo (in both English and Spanish) are employed at an impressive list of wineries. Their client list includes some of the world’s most renowned producers; Château d‘Yquem, Chateau Latour, and Roederer, among others. In Napa, names like Corison, Diamond Creek, Sha ...