Elqui River Sauvignon Blanc 2024

When Viña Falernia founder Aldo Olivier and star winemaker Giorgio Flessati declared they would make wine in Chile’s unforgiving Elqui Valley, other area winemakers called them crazy. But a decade later, the duo is now winning huge awards for their sophisticated bottlings. Their crisp and citrus-inflected Elqui River Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect example.

Viña Falernia was the first winery in the Elqui Valley and remains one of its top estates. Giorgio is an expert in high-altitude winemaking, and he’s been key to bringing the world’s attention to the valley. As Decanter writes, “thanks to Giorgio, Elqui is no longer thought of simply as a top region for Pisco [brandy], it’s a most-talked-about valley for fine, well-defined varietal wine.”

So what did he and partner Aldo see in this spot? An ideal combination of long sunshine hours, cooling ocean breezes, foggy mornings and fresh Andean snowmelt.

For this bottling, Giorgio cool-fermented the grapes to preserve their aromatic character, then aged the wine on its lees for added complexity. The result brims with all the vibrant flavor and freshness you’d expect from New World Sauvignon Blanc.

Here’s Giorgio on what you’ll get in the glass: “Outstanding concentration of flavors, with freshly cut grass and elderflower aromas, ripe melon, citrus fruits and a mineral quality on the palate." Though perfectly delicious on its own, it's especially good alongside goat’s cheese, salads and white fish.

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