Baettig : Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay 2023

Tasting notes and serving advice for Baettig’s Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay 2023

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a bright, luminous yellow hue characteristic of a youthful chardonnay.

Nose

The aromatic bouquet initially reveals a restrained and pure profile dominated by citrus notes. With aeration, the nose gradually opens to aromas of green apple and pineapple, accompanied by spicy hints of ginger. Floral nuances of linden, verbena, and apple and pear blossom enrich the aromatic palette. Notes of sliced almonds and acacia complete this complex bouquet, while touches of lemon zest, seashell and iodine bring a maritime dimension. A subtle hint of pie crust discreetly emerges.

Palate

The palate stands out for its texture, both dry, creamy and taut. The attack reveals vibrant freshness driven by a mineral acidity that structures the entire tasting experience. The palate delivers a sensation that is both smooth and refreshing, with flavors of lemon zest, green apple and pineapple. Subtle hints of honey and a finish with cedar accents reflect a delicate oak influence. The lively acidity lingers for a long time, accompanied by a saline minerality and a slight tannic presence that give the wine remarkable length on the palate.

Food and wine pairings

This Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay 2023 pairs perfectly with raw seafood preparations, notably scallop tartare enhanced with citrus and mango. It also elegantly accompanies oysters, flatfish such as sole or turbot prepared with butter and herbs, as well as firmer-fleshed fish such as cod or monkfish. Herb-roasted poultry, lightly seasoned roast pork and white sausages also make excellent pairings. As for cheeses, opt for soft and creamy varieties such as brie or fresh mozzarella. Vegetable-based dishes featuring butternut squash or caramelized vegetables, as well as creamy pasta dishes, benefit from the balance between richness and freshness of this wine.

Serving and cellaring

Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay 2023 is ideally served between 10 and 12°C (50–54°F). This wine offers immediate enjoyment while also possessing cellaring potential that will allow it to evolve favorably over the course of the current decade.

A Chilean chardonnay from Traiguén combining minerality and tension

The estate

Founded in 2013 with the planting of the Viñedos Los Suizos vineyard, Vinos Baettig is the result of a partnership between Francisco Baettig, a renowned winemaker who led winemaking for twenty years at Errázuriz, and Carlos de Carlos, an expert in marketing premium wines. The brand was commercially launched in July 2020 with the 2018 and 2019 vintages. Located in Traiguén in the Malleco Valley, 600 kilometers south of Santiago, the estate covers 22 hectares, including 15.4 hectares planted with pinot noir and chardonnay. Francisco Baettig and Carlos de Carlos now run this independent family estate, recognized as one of Chile’s breakthrough wineries. Their philosophy is based on expressing the terroir and dry farming without irrigation.

The vineyard

The Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay is a wine from the Southern Regions produced from the entire 6.4 hectares of chardonnay planted within the single Los Suizos vineyard located in Traiguén. This volcanic plateau lies between the Quino and Traiguén rivers at the 38th parallel south. The soils result from the weathering of pyroclastic andesitic volcanic breccia dating from the Pleistocene, transformed over a period of two to five million years. This geological evolution has created naturally low-fertility clay-volcanic soils with excellent water retention capacity. The temperate Mediterranean climate is characterized by cool summers, annual rainfall of 1,084 millimeters and a heat summation of 1,200 degree-days. Solar radiation, 25% lower than in central Chile, favors the development of thin-skinned berries. The chardonnay vines, originating from French clones and mostly grafted, are dry-farmed without irrigation, with weed control carried out exclusively by manual and mechanical methods.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage in Chile stands out for warmer conditions than the preceding 2022 vintage. This increased warmth has given the wine more substance and body, while slightly reducing the tension, acidity and minerality typical of cooler years. Despite these warmer conditions, the vintage retains the incisive character and freshness that define the identity of Baettig wines.

Winemaking and aging

Vino Viñedo "Los Parientes" Chardonnay 2023 is crafted using a minimalist approach that favors the natural expression of the terroir. The grapes are 100% whole-cluster pressed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts naturally present in the vineyard, without inoculation of commercial yeasts. The wine is aged for eight months in French oak barrels, with a very limited proportion of new oak not exceeding 15%, the remainder consisting of second- and third-fill barrels. This approach brings a subtle oak influence without masking the fruit or the wine’s minerality.

Grape variety

100% chardonnay