Casas
del Bosque, Casablanca Valley,
Chile
Exploring the diversity of Chile's Vineyards, Part 5
Website: www.casasdelbosque.cl
This was my second visit to Casas del
Bosque, the first being in January
2008. Things have changed a bit: most significantly, talented
Kiwi winemaker Grant Phelps is now at the helm.

Grant
Phelps
We think of Casablanca as a cool climate
region, but actually it’s pretty dry here, and quite warm in the
summer. If it wasn’t for snow melt, Chile would be a dessert,
because it just rains in June, Huly, August and mid September.
Casablanca has less rain than Maipo, at 420 mm compared with 750 mm,
and this region was slow to develop as a wine region because of the
lack of a river and readily available irrigation water.
All agriculture in the valley is
sustained by irrigation, either from wells or reservoirs. Typically
the vines here will, in January, receive 8 h irrigation a week at 3/litres
and hour through the drippers, making a total of 24 litres per vine
per week.
The first vineyards were planted here in
1983, and these were at the warmer end of the valley, where
Veramonte are. Casas del Bosque are at the cooler, more frost prone
end, and pick Sauvignon two weeks later than Veramonte. Casas del
Bosque first planted in 1993, and built a winery in 2000.
Everything is 100% hand-picked, and as
well as the Casablanca fruit, Cabernet and Carmenère grapes
are bought in from Maipo, Cachapoal and Colchagua. The winery
produces around 70 000 cases from 15000 tons of fruit.
There are 250 hectares of vineyards hwere,
120 on hills and 130 on the flat. Frost control is a major issue,
and the property has 22 frost propellors that coast $50 and hour
each to run. This year, they had used them 13 times.
There are three different soil types:
grey clay/loam/sand on the flat, black/grey clay plus granite on the
hill, and also red volcanic on the hill.
Since Grant arrived in January 2010, a
lot of work has been done on the Sauvignon Blanc. He uses lots of
skin contact, making the point that in New Zealand there is lots of
inadvertent skin contact. Grant has adapted the winery, doubling the
cold capacity, and has started crushing the hand picked Sauvignon
into 6 tanks where it gets up to 3 days skin contact. pH goes up a
little, but it is naturally low. The main yeast used is B2000 which
is a Saccharomyces bayanus
(a different species of the wine yeast, Saccharomyces),
and which ferments as low as 8 °C. VL3 is also used, but this isn’t
taken below 10 °C.
Cold fermentations help retain the aromas.
THE
WINES
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc
Reserva 2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Mineral, fresh salty nose with nice grapefruit and herb notes. Very
pure, crisp and transparent with lovely purity. 88/100
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Gran
Reserva 2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Crisp, fresh, herby and precise, with a gentle herby character
and notes of grapefruit and citrus. Some texture too. Fresh and
attractive. 90/100
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Pequeñas
Producciones 2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Nicely herby, fresh and mineral with some green notes. Nicely
dense. Citrussy with good concentration and some richness. 89/100
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc
Reserva 2010 Casablanca Valley, Chile
A blend of clones 1, 242 and 107. Very crisp, pure and precise
with lovely purity and freshness. Grapefruit, citrus and a hint of
green. Nice saline quality, with a touch of smokiness. 89/100
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Gran
Reserva 2010 Casablanca Valley, Chile
One third each of the three clones. 8% barrel fermented. Very
pure and precise with good acidity. Lively and intense showing
lovely purity. Grapefruit and mineral. Super effort. 91/100
Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Pequeñas
Producciones 2010
Casablanca Valley, Chile
All three clones; 72% barrel ferment. Pure and textured with
some herby notes and a bit of minerality. Broad with linear purity.
Some grapefruit pith. Will likely age well. 90/100
Casas del Bosque Chardonnay Reserva
2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Broad, nutty nose is quite mealy with nice breadth. The palate
is mealy, bready and nutty with some honeyed richness. 84/100
Casas del Bosque Chardonnay Gran
Reserva 2008 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Dense, toasty and nutty with an oily edge to the fruit. Big,
mealy, dense and savoury. 85/100
Casas del Bosque Pinot Noir Reserva
2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Fresh, slightly floral nose is bright with red berry and dark
cherry fruit. Lovely purity. The palate is rich and pure with some
meat and spic. Bold but fresh. 89/100
Casas del Bosque Pinot Noir Gran
Reserva 2009 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Dense cherry and berry fruit with some savoury, spicy oak. Tight
and dense with a strongly savoury edge and some tannic structure.
Needs time. 89/100
Casas del Bosque Pinot Noir Pequeñas
Producciones 2008 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Meaty, spicy edge of bacon fat on the nose. Fresh with some
savoury notes. The palate is quite elegant with nice texture and
sweet cherry and berry fruit. Nice purity with some savoury, earthy,
spicy notes. 91/100
Casas del Bosque Syrah Gran Reserva
2008 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Fresh, vivid black cherry and red berry fruit with a hint of
pepper on the nose. The
palate is fresh with some nice meatiness. Peppery and fine with some
elegance. 90/100
Casas del Bosque Syrah Pequeñas
Producciones 2008 Casablanca Valley, Chile
Dense berry fruits nose with some ripe cherry and a hint of
olive and meat. Dense but fresh. Very fine, elegant and floral on
the palate with lovely berryish fruit. Fabulous. 91/100
Casas del Bosque Gran Bosque 2008
Rapel, Chile
A big, heavy bottle. Dense spicy, mineral nose with a chalky
gravelly edge to the dark fruits. The palate is dense, sweet with
some gravel notes under the sweet fruit. Great concentration. 89/100
CHILE'S
DIVERSITY
Part
1, Dos Andes: Veranda and Agustinos, Bio Bio
Part
2, Viña Leyda, Leyda
Part
3, Viña Ventisquero, Apalta
Part
4, Viña Tabalí, Limarí
Part
5, Casas del Bosque, Casablanca
Part
6, Viña Falernia/Mayu, Elqui
See
also:
Photographs
from Limari Valley, Chile
Visiting
Chile's wine regions (a series from a visit in 2008)
Published
07/12
Wines tasted 12/10
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