Echeverria Merlot Gran Reserva 2018

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Our Price:  £11.05Earn 11 Loyalty Points Bottle or Case:    Bottle:  £11.05  Case of 6:  £66.30  Case of 12:  £132.60 Producer:  Vina Echeverria Grape Varieties:  100% Merlot Optimum Drinking:  Within 6 years Wine Style:  Full bodied juicy red Alcohol by Volume:  14% Closure:  Screwcap Country:  Chile Availability:

Echeverria Merlot Gran Reserva 2018

Producer Note

Viña Echeverria is a family-run estate winery, owned and managed by the Echeverria family. Established in 1930, but with an agricultural heritage going back to the 1700s, Viña Echeverria is as much today, as always, driven by a shared passion for winemaking and an uncompromising search for excellence. Viña Echeverria combines nearly a century of viticulture and winemaking experience with a modern state-of-the-art winery, to produce a range of over 20 quality wines from nine different grape varieties. It has recently been awarded its Sustainable Winery status by Wines of Chile, as well as its ISO9000 certification.

Vintage

2018 was characterised by a lack of rainfall. Nevertheless, it was a good vintage for quality. Frost occurred in spring, along with a large thermal oscillation retaining refreshing acidity. A dry, slow ripening season allowed good flavour accumulation, with low disease pressure. No significant rainfall took place at harvesting, resulting in grapes with excellent varietal characteristic, with some slightly lower alcohol levels.

Vineyard

The vineyard is located in Maipo Alto in the Central Valley. Alto Maipo reaches into the foothills of the Andean Mountains; the vineyard is situated at elevations of between 400 to 800 metres above sea level. The afternoon sun warms the vineyard and the cool mountain breezes that slide down the hillside at night create a broad oscillation between day and night temperatures. This diurnal temperature difference creates perfect conditions for bold yet elegant red wines. Careful pruning is carried out to allow the correct balance between the canopy and the fruit, while irrigation is carefully managed to avoid dehydration. The vines are grown in medium fertility soils of mostly red and black clay.

Winemaking

The hand harvested grapes were fermented in 25,000 litre open stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts, at controlled temperatures of 24 to 28°C. This lasted for eight days. Extended skin maceration followed, for an additional 10 days. The wine then went through 100% malolactic fermentation, before being aged in 225 litre French oak barrels, for a period of 12 months.

Tasting Note

Intense aromas of red fruits, sweet plums are combined with notes of chocolate and vanilla. Opulent flavours of ripe fruits complement the smooth, velvety and balanced palate with a long, mouthwatering finish. Delicious.

Serving Suggestion

A versatile wine, matching tomato based Italian dishes, sausages, dishes with chorizo, blackened salmon, roast meats, Chinese duck, ribs and casseroles.

Grape

Merlot 100%