Tabali Barranco Mountain Viognier

Established in 2002, Tabali is a pioneer and iconic winery situated in Limari, on the edge of the Atacama Desert in one of the northernmost vineyard regions of Chile. They were one of the first wineries to settle in Limari and their wines faithfully reflect their place of origin in which climate and soils play a fundamental role, and bring out the potential of each of their vineyards.

Tabali is the only winery that produces wines that cross Chile from east to west in the same valley (D.O.), from their incredibly high and remote site of Roca Madre (second highest vineyard in Chile) in the Andes Mountains' Rio Hurtado area down to their cool climate, 'Camanchaca' fog blanked vineyards by the Pacific Ocean. In their quest for the perfection, they now also have a site in the renowned Cabernet and Merlot region of Maipo Valley. The result is a range of truly distinctive wines with elegance, restraint and minerality which the dynamic team of Felipe Muller (winemaker) and Hector Rojas (viticulturalist) have attributed to their cabinet full of the wine worlds most prestigious trophies. In 2014, Felipe Müller was name 'Chilean Young Winemaker of the Year' and acclaimed for his ability to understand Tabali´s distinctive terroir and use it to create remarkable wines, unique to Chile.

Tabalí also has the honour of stewardship of the Limari Valleys most significant archaeological sites, the mystical "˜Valle del Encanto (Enchanted Valley) which borders their vineyards. A sacred site of the ancient Molle and Diaguita culture, the many rock drawings and carved Tacita stones depict an ancient way of life. The Tabali mask logo has been taken from one of these rock carvings, which can only be seen at certain times of day when the suns alignment makes them magically appear.

Viña Tabalí are currently working towards Sustainable Wines of Chile. This certification is a transparent and independent process, which is based on biannual audits carried out by certifying companies registered in the "registry of certifiers of the Sustainability Code". The requirements of the Code are framed in a long-term vision, based on the combination of environmental principles, social equity and economic viability.

Viognier,

This wine was produced exclusively with grapes from the Río Hurtado vineyard, which is in the Limari Valley right in the Andes mountains, just 45km from Argentina. At an altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level, this singular mountain vineyard is one of the three highest in Chile. The soil where this vineyard is planted is special since it is located just where the alluvial soil meets a colluvial profile. The alluvial soil is formed by material dragged by the Hurtado River, whereas the colluvial soil is formed by landslides of rocks from higher mountain ranges. In both cases, the rock is of volcanic origin.

The harvest began in the first week of March, when the grapes reached their optimum phenolic ripeness. The clusters of the grapes were manually selected and then pressed with full bunch, and only juice of superior quality was used in this wine. Fermentation took place in small stainless steel tanks with strict temperature control to preserve all the fruitiness and freshness of the grape. The wine aged in stainless steel tanks with a weekly pump-over to achieve greater aromatic complexity and more structure in the mouth.

This is a mountain Viognier, unique in its kind.

The nose is very elegant and subtly scented with floral notes, dry white fruits and spices, and has a slightly mineral note in the background. It is very elegant in the mouth, creamy but very fresh at the same time. An exquisite acidity is induced by the cold nightly mountain breezes.

This is uniquely elegant viognier, as at home accompanying a cheese board as it is with fish tacos.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on the White Wines of the America’s Blog

Our second Chilean wine is from approximately 150 miles further North in the Limari Valley. Across Chile’s 2700 mile North/South length, there is usually only a marginal climatic difference between the valleys, that is until you reach the extremes in Latitude. This minor 150 miles should mean very little, instead longitudinal difference should mean a lot more. Here though, we have a double whammy of variation. The Limari Valley sits at the Northern end of where viticulture is possible in Chile, almost touching the Atacama, the driest desert on earth which has a profound influence on the wines grown here. Our first wine was in the East, 7 miles from the Ocean, at the opposite extreme, this wine from Tabali is from grapes picked in the West of the country near the Argentine border. The vineyards here are climbing into the Andes at around 1600m above sea level.

Tabali vineyards are one of the pioneers of the Limari Valley, starting up in 2002, they are currently working towards Sustainable Wines of Chile certification. This certification is a transparent and independent process, which is based on biannual audits carried out by certifying companies registered in the "registry of certifiers of the Sustainability Code". The requirements of the Code are framed in a long-term vision, based on the combination of environmental principles, social equity and economic viability.

Whereas the previous wine from Montes was made from Chile’s most widely planted grape, this Tabali is made from the far rarer Viognier. Chile only grows a tiny 2% of the world’s plantings of this varietal, with most of these plantings grown in the hot central plains, making this single vineyard Andean expression all the rarer and more unique. Originating in France’s Northern Rhone valley, Viognier is a hard grape to get right. The grape needs heat and sunshine to ripen fully but can very quickly become unbalanced, achieving very high sugar levels leading to heightened alcohol levels which can feel hot with lower acidity making the wines feel flabby. It is for these reasons that the extreme conditions the grapes Tabali Barranco is grown in are so important.

This single vineyard site called Rio Hurtado has altitude on its side. The 300 annual days of sunshine is intense but the 1600m of altitude provide a huge diurnal swing in temperature with cool nights. This temperature variation allows the grapes to have an extended hang time on the vines, fully ripening the grapes and leading to a more expansive aromatic profile whilst retaining the acidity and reigning in the sugar levels that could easily exceed comfort.

Grown on volcanic soils, this Viognier is less pungent on the nose than almost all other Viogner’s I have tried but it is this subtlety of character that ultimately allows the wine to show the true complexity that Viognier is capable of. Instead of a classically unctuous apricot bomb masking anything else, the Tabali Barranco is floral and spicy in equal measure. The softer white fruit elements are still there but are in check, perfect equilibrium. I find this to be a really interesting wine to pair with alpine cheeses, Comte would be delicious, but if you can seek out a cheese coated in dried alpine meadow flowers called “Alp Blossom” this would be perfect, Emanuelle at Metz Cheesemongers over in Farsley stocks this one. Other than cheeses, this would be an interesting pairing with sushi where it would work with both the elements of wasabi and pickled ginger.