Winemaker Notes
Amber in color this wine smells of lemon, candle wax and bee pollen with a hint of flor / orange that adds complexity. In the mouth, lemon juice, candied lemon peel and a touch of bee pollen mixed with white flowers and honey (without the sweetness). High acid with faint chalky texture make this a mouthwatering package. Tasty and with time in the glass: vast. A portion of the wine sat on its skin for eight months, but with little oxygen.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Intense, perfumed nose exhibiting lots of jasmine, honeysuckle, gingerbread and honeyed peaches. A bit steely. Full-bodied and ample, with bright acidity and a long, phenolic-driven finish. Around eight months on skins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The just-bottled 2022 Isidore Vineyard Maule Valley Semillon has even lower alcohol than the 2021, 12.3%, and a little less acidity and freshness, but it matured in the same way: in a mixture of tinaja, FlexTank, stainless steel and used barriques for 12 months. It's paler and more floral than the 2021 I tasted next to it, younger and less developed, a little rounder and softer, a little gentler, but this can change a lot in the bottle.
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Vinous
The 2022 Sémillon Isidore Vineyard Parcel selection F5 is sourced from Sauzal, Maule Region. It presents a yellow color with a greenish sheen. The bouquet features notes of honey, herbs and linden blossom, with a subtle hint of pear. Dry, delicate and taut on the palate, this enticing white lingers with a vibrant core. It represents a perfect blend of dry-farmed old vines with the freshness of a pristine vintage.
Sémillon has the power to create wines with considerable structure, depth and length that will improve for several decades. It is the perfect partner to the vivdly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Sémillon especially shines in the Bordeaux region of Sauternes, which produces some of the world’s greatest sweet wines. Somm Secret—Sémillon was so common in South Africa in the 1820s, covering 93% of the country’s vineyard area, it was simply referred to as Wyndruif, or “wine grape.”
Maule is the Central Valley’s most southern and coolest zone, reaching a southern latitude of 35°S, yet it is still warmer and drier than Bío-Bío to its south. The Maule Valley enjoys success with a unique set of grapes.
It lays claim to the local variety, Pais (synonymous with Tinta Pais, which is actually Tempranillo), which has dominated much of the region’s area under vine until the recent past. Now many growers, not confined by the tradition and regulations of the Old World, also successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon.
While Maule’s total area under vine remains relatively static, its old Carignan vineyards are undergoing a great revival. The VIGNO (Vignadores del Carignan Vintners) group, an association in charge of promoting this long-forgotten variety, is getting fantastic results from the old vines in its dry-farmed coastal zones.
The Maule includes the subregions of Talca, San Clemente, San Javier, Parral, Linares and Cauquenes.