Chardonnay 2008/10 - Santa Monica, Rapel Valley, Chile

Intense apple, apricot, peach, citrus, tropical fruit aromas, with strokes of flowers and honey. Fresh harmonious balance, good body and very long finish.

Founded in 1976 by Emilio de Solminihac, Santa Monica is one of the more contemporary wineries in Chile. Yet, this superb property is truly an amalgam of Old World charm and modern technology Located in the beautiful Rapel Valley, this historical 19th century property includes a beautiful old hacienda that dates from Chile’s colonial past as well as one the tidiest and most up to date wineries in all Chile.

Emilio de Solminihac, more affectionately known as Don Emilio to a burgeoning legion of young Chilean winemakers, is the guardian of traditional winemaking in Chile and one of South America’s finest winemakers. He is also an affable gentleman who seems cut from a bygone age. Hailing from a wine making family, Don Emilio received his first training in wine as a young man while working in his grandfather’s vineyard and winery. Later he would graduate from the Universidad de Chile with a degree in agricultural engineering, and subsequently depart for France, where he would study at the Université de Bordeaux under the legendary Emile Peynaud – France’s most renowned oenologist. While attending the Université de Bordeaux, Emilio earned that venerable institution’s esteemed degree in oenology, the first Chilean to do so.

Today, Emilio de Solminihac is revered as much for his legacy of fine, age worthy wines as he is for his numerous oenological innovations – many of which have helped to transform the Rapel Valley into the Napa Valley of Chile.

Whilst Chile is renowned for producing the more popular soft Chardonnay and racy Sauvignon Blanc styles of wine, Santa Monica offers a real point of difference through one of the very few Semillons produced in Chile - a wine which is deliciously lemony and round but not too weighty. Perfect for all of the ABC fans amongst you (Anything But Chardonnay!)

If you prefer your wines a little more mature, then why not try one of the oldest vintages found in Chile today. The 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon (Oak Aged) has been matured in the cellars at Rancagua and has developed an amazing complexity of cherry and pepper flavours and a long persistent velvety finish.

Bottle Size: 75cl

ABV: 14%