Viu Manent Tiny Trials Chardonnay
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The “Tiny Trials” are the result of Viu Manent’s enthusiasm for innovating, exploring the most unique and radical spots, with soils and climatic influences that determine the style of the wine.
- Small batch, careful vinifications, focuses on highlighting the grape variety and the pronounced influence of the origin, allowing them to produce these pure wines of outstanding character.
- The grapes come from one block of a vineyard located in the area of Litueche, on the coast in the extreme northern end of the Colchagua Valley, just 18 km from the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to its location, there is a strong maritime influence that creates conditions for the slow ripening of the grapes, with great potential for quality.
- Grown in granite, with a high presence of quartz and iron, which gives the soil a reddish color while adding greater freshness, complexity, and depth to the wines.
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Elaboration: Grapes were harvested by hand. 100% direct pressing. Alcoholic fermentation took place with native yeasts, at temperatures between 16 and 21ºC, lasting approximately 2 weeks. 100% of the wine fermented for a third of the period in stainless steel tanks, while 91% then finished its fermentation in French oak barrels of varying ages. During the aging period the wine remained in contact with its fine lees to add body and silkiness. Aging: Of the total, 92% of the wine fermented and aged in used French oak barrels, while the remaining 8% stayed in stainless steel over a period of 10 months.
Tasting Notes: With a pale yellow color, the wine’s nose shows a complex wine with big character, where mineral notes stand out, together with harmonious aromas of citrus. The palate is silky, tense, and juicy, with saline notes that add verticality and deliver a delicate and deep finish.
PRESS
2022 – 92 Vinous
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
After working as a wine merchant alongside his father and brother since the 1930’s, Miguel Viu Manent made the decision to branch out on his own in 1965, purchasing a historic vineyard and winery in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. The estate was and still is one of the most well-exposed sites in the region, and it included 150 hectares of pre-phylloxera massal selections from France.
This company provides us with wines we consider the best value wines in the country (see “Reserva line), forward/experimental options (see “Secreto” line), some of the most solid “under $20” varietal wines you’ll find anywhere in the world (see “Gran Reserva” line), site specific/terroir driven releases (see “Single Vineyard” wines), and most famously the iconic “Viu 1.” Malbec is clearly the house specialty here – Viu Manent was the first Chilean winery to bottle, label, and market Malbec, and they’ve for years been Chile’s Malbec leaders both in terms of accolades and quantity produced.
After nearly 100 years this firm is still family owned and operated (a rarity in Chile, especially for a winery of this size), all farming is certified sustainable, and two of Chile’s top names consult with the winery on a permanent basis – Roberto Pizarro (vineyard management) and Paul Hobbs (winemaking).