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By Nancy Walman
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Chilean Miracle Wines
A BRIGHT NEW STAR FROM
CHILE: ALTAÏR
The Chilean Grand Cru touched by heaven
and earth
Wine On Line Rating: SIDERAL 2002 & Altaïr 2002, “A+”
|
A |
new star rises on
the wine world’s horizon with the launch of Altaïr, the
ultra-premium Chilean wine with a Grand Cru pedigree. Bridging two hemispheres, Laurent Dassault,
executive manager of Saint-Émilion’s Grand Cru Classé Château Dassault, has
joined forces with Guillermo Luksic, chairman of Quiñenco, the holding company
controlling Viña San Pedro, Chile’s second-largest winery. Together, they have created Altaïr Vineyards
& Winery, an enterprise born with one purpose—to craft the ultimate Chilean
Grand Cru.
“In 2000, I met Guillermo Luksic on a business trip to
Chile,” says Dassault. “We rapidly made the decision to unite our respective
competences and to create together a great Chilean wine.” By June 2001, a 50/50 partnership was in
place between Château Dassault and Viña San Pedro, bringing together the
Bordeaux winemaking tradition of Dassault with Luksic’s knowledge of the
Chilean wine industry and Chile’s terroir, and Viña San Pedro’s
international distribution network.
“This agreement represents the shared vision of two families joined by
our passion for wine and our fervent desire to create a fine wine that
represents the virtues of both our countries in the demanding international
markets,” says Luksic.
Continuing the North/South collaboration, Dassault and
Luksic engaged noted Bordeaux oenologist Pascal Chatonnet and Chilean
oenologist Ana-Maria Cumsille to bring the best of their two worlds together.
Inspired by the
heavens
Altaïr is named for a star in Aguila, the Eagle
Constellation. This distinctive star
has a light so pure and intense—ten times more luminous than the sun—that it
can be seen in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Soaring in the night sky, it is also the
apex of the famed Summer Triangle, with Vega
and Deneb comprising the other two points.
From the Arabic “Al Nasr al Tair” (which means “flying eagle”),
awareness of the star Altaïr and its
constellation can be traced back 8,000 years to the Sumerians, who used it in
navigation.
The Greeks had an eye on the Eagle as well: Greek mythology holds that Zeus, disguised
as an Eagle, swept up the Trojan Prince Ganymede to be cup-bearer to the gods
on Mount Olympus—a sort of Olympian sommelier, pouring out the “nectar of the
gods.” To celebrate this occasion, Zeus
created the Eagle Constellation, with Ganymede honored nearby as the
constellation Aquarius, the Water-Bearer.
Rooted in the earth
To craft Altaïr, a wine that embodies both
the excellence of French winemaking techniques and the best Chilean terroir,
Dassault and Luksic built a spectacular, state-of-the-art winery tucked into
the foothills of the Andes mountains in the Totihue Valley, a small area located
in Requínoa county in the larger DO of Alto Valle de Cachapoal. Here, vines up to 15 years old cling to
previously uncultivated, hilly slopes of gravely soil pitched up to a 35º
angle. The 70 hectares (144 acres) of
vines are planted at a density of 4,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare, depending
on slope and exposure, at an altitude of 600–800 meters (2,000–2,600 feet)
above sea level. The Andean
influence—sunny days followed by cool breezes that glide down the mountains in
late afternoon—allows the grapes to ripen slowly, giving them both fine, ripe
tannins and fresh acidity. Yields are
kept low at less than one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of grapes per plant.
The winery itself has its roots in the earth. Designed by Chilean architect Samuel Claro
to complement and integrate with the surrounding landscape, the discreetly
low-profile building is nestled into the hillside, with half of the structure
underground. Together with stone walls
and a massive roof, this allows near-perfect natural temperature control in the
cellar. The uneven terrain made it
possible to design the winery around gravity flow, with the harvest unloaded a
full 4 meters (13 feet) above the cellar floor, allowing the grapes to
fall naturally into small bins that are transferred to the tanks. All operations at the winery, which has a
maximum capacity of 600,000 liters (158,500 gallons), are carried out using
gravity to assure the gentlest handling of grapes and must. The winery incorporates the modern—gleaming
stainless steel tanks, gravity-flow design, meticulous temperature control—with
the traditional, utilizing classic French oak barriques and featuring
walls of local Chacabuco stone (moss stone).
This graceful melding of the new and the traditional is
echoed in the winery’s serene and spacious interior, which was decorated by
Paula Gutiérrez. Contemporary
furnishings play against natural materials such as leather, raffia, wood, and
slate to create a harmonious environment, equally suited to observing
activities in the high-tech cellars or looking out at the breathtaking mountain
scenery.
The 2002 vintage of Altaïr—the new winery’s
flagship wine, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and
Carmenère—displays an intense, deep red color.
Chatonnet describes it as beautifully concentrated on the nose, with
warm notes of forest underbrush and black currant preserves. Swirling releases powerful but subtle notes
of toasted pine, tobacco and cedar wrapped in red fruit evoking raspberry and
black currant liqueur. The palate is
rich and balanced, with elegant tannins and a long, silky finish. Altaïr is a powerful wine,
with great cellaring potential.
A sister to Altaïr, but very much its own
individual, is Sideral, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, and Carmenère plus Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Named for the concept of sidereal time,
which expresses the movements of stars and planets in the universe, Sideral
2002 has a dense, purplish color. On
the nose, Chatonnet finds smoky notes, hints of spice, and black raisins. With swirling, the wine displays fruity
aromas of compote and red currant over a base of vanilla and cigar box. The mouthfeel is rich and full, yet with an
agreeable freshness and minerality that carry into the finish. Sideral is accessible and
open, easier to taste and enjoy while young, yet with the ability to develop
over time.
The first commercial vintages of Altaïr and Sideral
were launched in the US market in March 2005.
Suggested retail prices are $55 for Altair and $25 for Sideral.
SIDERAL 2002
Excellent Value & Food
Friendly
Technical Notes: The 2002 vintage of Sideral is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and a 10% blend of Carmenère, Syrah, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot. This wine is made from vines up to 10 years old, planted on hilly, gravely soils. Density ranges from 4,000 to 10,000 plants per hectare, with yields kept to slightly more than one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of grapes per plant.
The grapes were hand harvested in early morning, then the berries were selected and sorted at the winery. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks, with a long, traditional maceration. The wine aged in 100% French oak casks for a total of 12 months with barrel-to-barrel racking; it was bottled in December 2003; and 2,500 cases were exported to the US.. DO: Rapel Valley. ABV: 14%.
The Vintage: The 2002 vintage was difficult for producers in the southern regions of Chile such as Curicó, Maule and Bió-Bió, which saw rains at harvest time. However, the more northern regions such as Casablanca, Maipo, and Cachapoal—where Altaïr’s vineyards are—had mild, dry weather that allowed gradual ripening, improving freshness, acidity and concentration over the hotter 2001 vintage.
Tasting Notes: Sideral 2002 has a dense, purplish color. On the nose, it shows smoky notes, with
hints of spice and black raisins. With
swirling, the wine displays fruity aromas of compote and red currant over a
base of vanilla and cigar box. The
mouthfeel is rich and full, yet with an agreeable freshness and minerality that
carry into the finish. Sideral
is accessible and open, easier to taste and enjoy while young, yet with the
ability to develop over time.
Serving Suggestions: Sideral is exceptionally
food-friendly and will enhance the enjoyment of everything from a juicy burger
or simple goat cheeses to wild boar, roast chicken with thyme, or prime rib.
Suggested Retail Price: $25
Altaïr 2002
If you have never tasted a $200 wine, here’s your chance to enjoy one of equal quality at about ¼ of the price.
Technical Notes: The 2002 vintage of Altaïr, the flagship wine of Altaïr Vineyards & Winery, is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Carmenère, and 7% Merlot. This wine is made from vines up to 15 years old, planted on gravely soils with inclines up to 35 degrees. Density ranges from 4,000 to 10,000 plants per hectare, but yields are kept to less than one kilogram (2.2 lbs) of grapes per plant.
The grapes were hand harvested in the early morning, then brought to the winery in small bins. At sorting tables, a preliminary hand sorting removed leaves and any undesirable grapes. After destemming, a two-part table allowed any undersize grapes to fall out and workers to remove any remaining stems or flawed grapes. The grapes were lightly crushed, then a small, mobile hanging tank moved the must into a larger tank below for fermentation. Four to five days of cold maceration was followed by a cool, traditional fermentation in wooden tanks, with pigeage. Malolactic fermentation was 100% completed in barrel. The wine received gentle, barrel-to-barrel racking as it aged in 100% French oak barrels for 15-18 months. Altaïr 2002 was bottled in January 2004; and 700 cases were exported to the US. DO: Cachapoal Valley; ABV: 14%.
The Vintage: The 2002 vintage was difficult for producers in the southern regions of Chile such as Curicó, Maule and Bió-Bió, which saw rains at harvest time. However, the more northern regions such as Casablanca, Maipo, and Cachapoal—where Altaïr’s vineyards are—had mild, dry weather that allowed gradual ripening, improving freshness, acidity and concentration over the hotter 2001 vintage.
Tasting Notes: Altaïr 2002 displays an intense, deep red
color. It is beautifully concentrated
on the nose, with warm notes of forest underbrush and black currant
preserves. Swirling releases powerful
but subtle notes of toasted pine, tobacco and cedar wrapped in red fruit
evoking raspberry and black currant liqueur.
The palate is rich and balanced, with elegant tannins and a long, silky
finish. This is a powerful wine, with
great cellaring potential.
Serving Suggestions: Serve at cellar temperature. Decanting of 45 minutes is recommended. This complex wine pairs beautifully with rich meats such as leg of lamb, grilled steak, or venison; it is also a match for duck prepared with savory or red fruit sauces, or roasted game birds with herbed brown sauces. Or try it with strong cheeses such as aged cheddar, Asiago and Huntsman.
Suggested Retail Price: $55
The URL is: www.altairwines.com.
These reviews are available and have been seen on the Internet. Click here to see an index of other reviews on the worldwide web <http://www.punchin.com>. <http://www.wineonline.net>. They have been heard on WNCN, WEVD and WQXR radio, seen in Fodor's and Mobil Guide Books, and printed in Chocolatier, Troika, Trump and Metropolitan Millionaire magazines and newspapers and throughout the world, including the NY Post, Women's Wear Daily and the NY Times, via the Punch In International Network. This review may be reprinted free of charge, so long as source and byline credit are included: "The Walman Report," "Punch In International®," Wine On Line International®.
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