William Cole Albamar Sauvignon Blanc 2020
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The 2020 William Cole Albamar Sauvignon Blanc has excellent fresh fruit character and flavors of Meyer lemon and crisp apple. The wine is bone dry and very food friendly.
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2015-
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William Cole winery is located deep within Chile’s prestigious Casablanca Valley, the area often referred to as “Chile’s Burgundy.” This cool climate vineyard near the coast is comprised of over 129 contiguous hectares and provides a long, warm growing season with cool nights to develop excellent fruit acidity. Owned by the Martin Weinstein family, the winery specializes in cool climate varieties, producing wines that are crisp, clean and complex. The winery’s primary line is Albamar, which pays homage to the Casablanca Valley’s foggy sunrise (“alba” means sunrise) and the cooling breezes of the ocean (“mar” means ocean).
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
A region that has become synonymous with some of the best whites of Chile, the Casablanca Valley is full of dozens of bodegas who either grow fruit here or come from outside to source from local growers for their own white wine programs. The valley runs from east to west, which means that its westernmost vineyards receive the most cooling influence from the reliable afternoon sea breezes. The soils also tend to be heavier in clay in the west, whereas the eastern end of the valley is warmer and its soils are predominantly granitic. Sauvignon blanc thrives here, Chardonnay does well and Pinot noir is not uncommon.