I recently wrote about the wide range of wines from Argentina, but, just over the Andes Mountains, Chile is an equally important wine producing country. And, I had the pleasure of being re-introduced to the Grey Label of Ventisquero Wine Estates.
I first became acquainted with this brand (formerly known as Viña Ventisquero) many years ago when I dined in New York City with winemaker John Duval who shared an interesting story about his initial hire. As he explained, one morning (or more correctly, the middle of the night), he received a phone call at 3:00 AM. While most calls made at that hour mean the delivery of bad new, in this case, it was simply a matter of mistaken time zones.
Awoken at that early hour, the Aussie winemaker thanked the caller for the job offer and went back to sleep. Fortunately, he continued the conversation when he was more alert, eventually accepting the role of consulting winemaker for Ventisquero.
John came to this roll when, after overseeing 29 vintages at Penfolds as Chief Winemaker, he was looking for his next venture. While he was open to various options, he knew that he didn’t want to be on a plane all of the time; he wanted to stay married and see his family. Accordingly, he started a family wine project, making wine under his own label (John Duval Wines) at home in the Barossa Valley, but the opportunity to consult for Ventisquero was very intriguing, so he signed on to the team in 2004.
Ventisquero itself was established in 1998 in the Maipo Valley in Chile, before branching out to the Casablanca, Colchagua, Leyda and Huasco Valleys. The brand encourages its winemakers to pursue an innovative spirit that combines curiosity, creative freedom, a willingness to take risks, and an intense exploration of the senses. Accordingly, its winemakers are given the latitude to experiment and challenge the established way of doing things.
For John, the Ventisquero project was especially appealing given the company’s approach to innovation with precision soil mapping and terroir-focused replanting. Moreover, the company practices sustainability throughout the entire process. Overall, the partnership has provided both parties with a good balance because John is the Syrah/Shiraz expert while his colleague Felipe Tosso, who celebrated his 20th year at Ventisquero in 2020, is the go-to guy for Carménère. The two collaborate on a range of wines, particularly at the premium level.
As a result, John’s personal portfolio is an unusual one for a consulting winemaker since he must complete two vintages in the same hemisphere. He travels to Chile twice each year, which generally works out well since Chile’s cooler climate means that the grapes ripen several weeks later than those in Australia.
At the company’s entry-level, its Ventisquero Grey offers single-block wines, produced as both blends and varietally-labeled wines. In this regard, Garnacha, Cariñena, Mataro, Syrah and Merlot are grown in the La Robleria vineyard in Apalta, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère are sourced from blocks within the Trinidad Vineyard in Maipo Valley region. Similarly, the Las Terrazas vineyard is in the Leyda Valley, only 4 miles from the cold Pacific Ocean, serving as the perfect climate for cultivating Pinot Noir. In crafting these wines, the winemakers hope to enable the unique terroir of each respective vineyard to come through in the glass, while also highlighting the diversity of Chile’s wine regions.
TASTING NOTES
Ventisquero Single Block Grey Garnacha, Carinena, Mataro 2017 Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley, Chile, ~$20.00
This Mediterranean-style blend offers up aromas of fresh raspberries and a slight herbal undercurrent, with a dry palate, with vibrant acidity, light to medium body, fresh berries, and medium+ length.
Ventisquero Single Block Grey Pinot Noir 2017 Ledya Valley, Las Terrazas Vineyard, Leyda Valley, Chile, ~$20.00
With aromas of herbs, earth and a hint of red fruit, this dry wine has medium+ acidity; medium body; and flavors of fresh and dried herbs, earthy, dark cherry, culminating in long length.
Ventisquero Single Block Grey Trinidad Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Maipo Valley, Chile, ~$20.00
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, oak and vanilla greet the nose, which are repeated on the dry, full-bodied palate along with slight spice notes and an oak undercurrent in finish, with long length.
Viña Ventisquero Single Block Grey Carménère 2017 Trinidad Vineyard, Maipo Valley, Chile, ~$20.00
Dried and fresh herbs, smoke and spice are joined with dark red fruits – black cherry and raspberry – on the nose and palate, with firm tannins, full body and very long length.
NB: The latter two images were taken from the winery’s website.