Apaltagua Costero is pale gold in color, with fine bubbles. On the nose it is clean with marked notes of white fruits, such as green and yellow apples. Clear notes of crusty bread and hazelnuts mix with a delicate hint of buttery aromas. In the mouth it is creamy with subtle flavors of green fruit and dry fruits and a long and lingering finish.

Variety: 60% Chardonnay / 40% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: San Antonio Valley
Winemaker: Carolina França
Winemaker Consultant: Juan Carlos Faúndez
Bottled: At The Estate

Vineyards
The Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc come from a vineyard situated in the Coastal Mountain Range, located at 71° 28’ 14” W by 33° 41’ 20” S, at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level. The vineyard is 8 years old, and planted in vertical trellises. The wines obtained from this coastal area achieve excellent results due to the cool climate and evolved soils, which have a clay-sand character, with granite stones and calcareous deposits. Harvested by hand, the grapes are transported in refrigerated trucks in 10-12 kg bins in order to prevent the bunches from being squeezed. This also lowers the chance of oxidation and preserves the organoleptic quality of the grapes.

Climate
Our vineyard is situated on the edge of the Coastal Mountain Range, in the area of Cartagena, and is only 12 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. There is a very large thermal oscillation between day and night. The minimum temperature is approximately 6°C (42°F) and the maximum borders 23°C (73°F). There is a Mediterranean climate here, with rain concentrated principally in the winter and an annual average of 350 mm. The summer, on the other hand is dry, with high temperatures reaching 23°C (73°F). Due to the proximity to the ocean, fog sometimes appears in the morning, accompanied by cool breezes.

Vinification
Both varieties are harvested by hand during the month of March. The Chardonnay is always harvested a bit more mature than the Sauvignon Blanc, which gives the wine the optimal balance between the freshness of the Sauvignon Blanc and the full-body of the Chardonnay. The grapes are then whole-cluster pressed, without a pre-fermentation maceration. Next, the juice is separated from its lees before the alcoholic fermentation takes place. The fermentation process is then carried out in tanks of stainless steel for 20-30 days with selected yeasts, at temperatures between 12° and 13°C (54° and 56°F). Ageing on its fine lees is done in the tank for two to three months, in order to reinforce structure and aromas. Finally, the “liqueur de tirage” is added to the base wine, and the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. The wine undergoes ageing for 9 months at a constant temperature of 10-12°C (50-53°F).

Notes from the winemaker
Apaltagua Costero is pale gold in color, with fine bubbles. On the nose it is clean with marked notes of white fruits, such as green and yellow apples. Clear notes of crusty bread and hazelnuts mix with a delicate hint of buttery aromas. In the mouth it is creamy with subtle flavors of green fruit and dry fruits and a long and lingering finish.