Caliterra Tributo Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc DO Casablanca

Description

Caliterra Tributo Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine from Chile’s Casablanca Valley. It is bottled as a Denomination of Origin (DO) Casablanca.

Caliterra Wines was established in 1996 as a joint venture between the families of Robert Mondavi and Vina Errazuriz. In January 2004, Vina Errazuriz became the sole owner. The Caliterra Estate itself is situated in the Colchagua Valley, some 125 miles south of Santiago and 35 miles from the coast at 150 metres above sea level. The estate comprises over 1000 hectares of land with around 250 hectares planted with vineyards. They produce a variety of wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Their wines often reflect the unique terroir of the Colchagua Valley, marked by its Mediterranean climate and diverse soils. Although primarily based in Colchagua, they also source high-quality white grapes vineyards in the Casablanca and Aconcagua Valley. Caliterra is one of the pioneers in organic and biodynamic farming in Chile. The winery emphasizes environmental stewardship and aims to minimize its ecological footprint.

The grapes for the Caliterra Tributo Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc are sourced from the Casablanca Valley which is located 45 miles to the northwest of Santiago. The grapes are harvested block 7 and 9 parcels of vines in Caliterra’s San Tomas Vineyard which is planted on degraded granitic and quartz clay soils.

The grapes are hand-picked early in the morning to keep the fruit cool before processing. They are then gently de-stemmed and undergo a period of cold maceration before pressing. Fermentation is made using selected yeasts. 80% of the wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks and 11% in previously used French oak barrels. The wine is matured in well-used (5th fill) French Barrels for 2 months.

The name Caliterra is taken from the Spanish ‘Calidad’ meaning quality and ‘Tierra’ meaning land.