The Limari Valley, our new Star.

This dry region in the mountainous north of Chile was relatively unknown to winemakers until years ago. Today, the rapidly growing landscape is quickly gaining a reputation for producing excellent Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays produced in the cool climate style.

Located about 400 km. North to Santiago, Limarí Valley is Chile's "hot" new "cool" climate viticultural region.

An up-and-coming region to watch: In 1995 there were just 230 acres of vineyards across Limarí; there are now over 4,000 acres planted, with more on the way.

The Valley lies along the south border of the Atacama desert, the driest place on earth. But it benefits from a strong coastal influence - even more so than Chile's other coastal areas - because the mountain range which hugs the shoreline begins in the Valley. That means lower elevations, which allow ocean breezes to blow in all throughout the day.

Lower elevation also means less shade, for the brilliant sunlight and higher temperatures that promote vigorous grape growth. High daytime and low nighttime temperature variations contribute concentrated color, aroma and flavor to the grapes (dry days yield remarkably healthy fruit, while cool nights allow the vines to rest and use their sugars to synthesize aromatic substances).

Despite the morning mist and dense coastal fog - known as Camanchaca - water is scarce. Drip irrigation is the rule, with the barest amount of water used to achieve perfect ripeness and greatly concentrated grapes.

This microclimate, combined with a unique limestone bed buried under Limarí Valley's alluvial clay soils, is perfect for white grapes. Poor soils generate stressed vines and low yield, which allow the aromas and colors to concentrate in the fruit instead of feeding the leaves. Variations in soil composition and depth, along with an irregular landscape marked by slopes, creeks, and hillside planting facilitate optimum environments for individual varieties.

These natural conditions encourage grapes to ripen slowly, promoting crisp natural acidity and outstanding development of aromas. The wines show a very appealing flinty quality resulting from desert soil rich in minerals, calcium and salt, the estructure is chalky with clay and stones, this condition produce wines of great character and minerality.

To create wines in this valley, the wineries are being able to classify the soils, divide and handle separately each of the different places, helped with satellite photos, air images, measurements of electric conductivities of the soils and a full physical and chemical description of trial pits in the vineyards.

In that form, the winemaking stuffs can integrate that information to work better with the grapevines, with the different varieties and finally expressing the personality of the wines.

Is quite exciting what can happen with the Limary Valley, at the moment is few big companies working hard to get the best out of it, such as: Santa Rita, De Martino , Tabali, Maycas, Cono Sur.

Is a must for every wine lover to have a go with the wines from the Limari Valley, whites are crispy and mineral by nature, and the fruit that the reds can produce is absolutely different to the other ones from Colchagua, Maipo and Cachapoal.