Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/674905
may 2016 / the tasting panel / 81 EMILIANA ORGANIC VINEYARD'S SIGNOS DE ORIGEN LA VINILLA AND COYAM Established in 1986, Chile's Emiliana is the single largest source of estate-grown organic wines in the world. Emiliana's winemaker, the charismatic Noelia Orts, tells the room that the Coyam "is our flagship wine. The blend will change depending of the year, but the style of wine will remain the same. We want to reflect that particular vineyard [Los Robles estate] in Colchagua Valley." Emiliana Signos De Origen La Vinilla, Casablanca Valley, Chile From the Fundo Casablanca, La Vinilla sector (hence the name) in the La Quebrada vineyard in Casablanca Valley. 68% Chardonnay, 13% Roussanne, 12% Viognier and 7% Marsanne. Hand-harvested, twice-selected, chilled then gently pressed grapes racked into stainless steel fermen- ters, then transferred into French oak. Goes through malolactic fermentation then ages in barrel for five additional months; six months total in French oak barrels, foudres and ovoid tanks. Blind Tasting Note Weighty, baked yellow apple, candied lemon, pie crust and spices. Dried white cherry notes. Would be great with broiled lobster and drawn butter. —Joon Lim Emiliana Coyam, Colchagua Valley, Chile From Colchagua Valley, Chile. Wide soil profile, colluvial in origin. 41% Syrah, 29% Carménère, 20% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Mourvèdre and 1% Petit Verdot. All ungrafted vines planted between 1992 and 2000. Hand-harvested, triple-selected grapes are gravity fed into a fermentation tank for a five-day cold soak and then go through temperature-controlled fermentation with native yeasts. Skin contact and frequent pump over for about a week. Malolactic fermentation naturally occurs in 80% French, 20% American oak and aged for 13 months. Blind Tasting Note Vibrant black and red fruit. Big, chewy tannic structure. Really pretty. This has the great potential to age. —Linda Torres PALARI'S FARO AND SANTA.NE Salvatore Geraci, a highly regarded architect who inherited his grandfather's 18th century Faro DOC estate, reminds the wine industry why Faro deserved it's DOC status in the first place. "In Sicily, what char- acterizes our area is the altitude, and altitude makes good wine. My vineyards are 600 meters above sea level but only a kilometer and half from the sea as the crow flies—important, because if you don't have hot days and cold nights, you don't have elegance in the wine. The sea breeze is key, as we're just above the Straights of Messina. It gives us that salinity in the wine." Most of us were familiar with the Faro, a noble wine based on a recipe from the 14th century, but were experiencing the Palari Santa.Ne for the first time. "We make three barrels of this wine, under a thousand bottles." Palari Faro, Sicily From Santo Stefano Briga (Messina) in Sicily, Faro DOC. Sandy soil. 60% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappuccio, 15% Nocera, 2% Jacche, 2% Acitana, and 1% Cor'e Palumba. Soft pressing, native yeast fermentation in tempera- ture-controlled stainless steel, at least 12 months oak aging. Bottled unfiltered and aged for an additional year. Blind Tasting Note On the nose, stewed plum, prunes, black cherry, fresh tar, cedar and beef jerky. Similar palate plus ginger, red apple skin and salted meat. Gorgeous. —Daniel Copeland Parlari Santa.Ne, Sicily From clay rich vineyards in Santo Stefano Briga (Messina), Sicily. Varietal might be Petit Verdot, unofficially named "A Frecisa," Sicilian dialect for "the French stuff," a term of unendearment awarded by the famers who were directed to plant the grapes under French influence during the early 19th century. Aged for two years in new Tronçais oak. Unfiltered and aged in bottle for at least two more years. Bling Tasting Note Plum, dark cherry, cassis, cigar box, black tea, autumn leaf and fenugreek. —Joon Lim Emiliana Signos de Origen La Vinilla. Palari Faro. Emiliana Coyam. Parlari Santa.Ne.