Caliterra Merlot Reserva wine
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- Wine colorRed
VINEYARD: Caliterra Estate
COMPOSITION: 80% Merlot
20% Carmenère
ALCOHOL: 14.5% by volume
FINAL PH: 3.66
TOTAL ACIDITY: 4.72 g/l (tartaric acid)
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 2.56 g/l
VINEYARD
The grapes used in this wine comes from selected Reserva lots from the Caliterra Estate in the Colchagua Valley, which extends from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Ocean through a large part of the Tinguiririca River basin. The Coastal Mountains are lower in Colchagua than in anywhere else in the country and allows cool ocean breezes to enter the valley every afternoon, which results in hot days and cool nights during the ripening season. The Caliterra Estate is located 200 km (125 miles) south of Santiago and 60 km (37 miles) from the coast at 150 meters above sea level (500 feet a.s.l.). The 1,030-hectare (2,544 acres) property of which approximately 242 hectares planted to vine: 210 planted in 1997-1998 and another 32 in 2005. Most of the grapes used for the 2005 Merlot Reserva were picked from the MLA4-A3-A2 parcels, which are primarily planted with clone 181, but which also include clones 346-348 and two national massal selections that contribute complexity to the wines. The vineyards are vertically trained and spur pruned on a 4-5° slope. The deep clay loam soils (35% clay) have been drained for proper control of plant vigour. They were planted with a northeast-southwest orientation (40° with respect to the north).
VINTAGE NOTE
The Colchagua spring was characterised by many cloudy days, especially during the flowering period; in fact, 20 mm (.8 inches) of rain fell in November, at the height of the flowering period. Weather conditions were exceptional from December onward with sunny, fog-free days, except for a 7 mm (.25 inch) rainfall in March that did not affect the fruit. April was especially warm, with average temperatures of 27.9°C (82°F) rather than the typical 23°C (73°F). At 1879.5 degree days, heat summation over 10°C topped the norm of 1822 degree days. Favourable climatic conditions plus the right irrigation regime in terms of the timing and volume of water applied during irrigation allowed us to wait for the grapes to ripen to the perfect point of maturation before picking. The 2005 harvest began on March 28, 18 days later than in 2004. A change in wine style that called for riper grapes prolonged the harvest period until April 19. The grapes were both hand and machine harvested.