Winemaker Notes
Blend: 63% Chardonnay, 23% Sémillon, 10% Viognier, 4% Sauvignon Blanc
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Blanco Quimera is a blend of 63% Chardonnay, 23% Sémillon, 10% Viognier and 4% Sauvignon Blanc from the Uco Valley. The intense, complex nose features apples, honey, peaches and herbs. Creamy and taut in the mouth. The fatty, refreshing palate builds into a potent, cleansing finish ending with lingering, fruity flavor. An alluring white.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is the winery's first white wine and is an aromatic and delicate blend of 63% Chardonnay, 23% Sémillon, 10% Viognier and the rest Sauvignon Blanc. A nose of honeysuckle, spices and citrus fruit lead to a tasty and balanced palate. Bright notes of lime, white peach, pear and melon dance on the mouth. It has weight, lively acidity and a delicious dried fruit finish.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.