Chono Wine visit in Chile

One of our last visits in Chile was to the vineyards for Chono Wines. Chono is one of many wines produced by Geo Wines which is run by a great host Sergio, who happens to be in Texas this week. It turned into a marathon tasting of only 23 wines after a fantastic vineyard tour, all before lunch. The Chono wines are all from organic vineyards that are in the Maipo Valley, and they use both drip and flood irrigation sourced from the Maipo river and local wells, as they get very little rainfall. Interesting fact learned about organic farming; you plant legumes and clover to add nutrients to the soil and rye or burmuda grasses to take nutrients out, this way you can generate the growth you want with out using pesticides or fertilizers.

The favorite wines of the tasting along with my notes verbatium were:

• Carmenere: big black fruits, subtle oak notes on the nose, balanced tannins and moderate acidity, with a long finish, hints of herbs and dusty
• San Lorenzo: blend of red/black fruits, soft sublte tannins, moderate acidity and finish, very good, well worth the money

JR (CM Wine Mgr, Fort Worth) and I taking a breather after the marathon tasting and another spectacular lunch.

Cheers, Martin CM Houston Resident Wino