Occasionally life replicates art. I’m thinking of film at the moment. Specifically the kind of movie scene where things that happen are accompanied by sound effects. If that were the case, certainly the first time I met Cristóbal Undurraga in the fall of 2009, an audible “click” would have been played. Sometimes you run across people and it all just, well clicks. Such was the case with Cristóbal. I was there to taste wine from his new project Viña Koyle. A number of years earlier the family had sold off their massive namesake winery. His branch of the family launched a new, much smaller winery. Thus Viña Koyle was born.
In the fall of 2009 he was here pouring their first commercial vintage. The wines hit a sweet spot of quality and value for me and I hit it off with him the way I do with winemakers on occasion. We’re both passionate about the things we care about. It was clear to me immediately that his goal was to run a winery that produced Estate wines using fruit that was grown using Organic and eventually Biodynamic practices. I immediately loved the wines. They offered a lot of value for the money and were clearly from Chile.
Fast forward over a decade and I’ve had the opportunity to taste wine and have dinner with Cristóbal both here and in Chile on many occasions. It’s been a fascinating pleasure to see the winery grow into his dreams. The gorgeous Viña Koyle property in Chile’s Colchagua Valley is the source of an increasing number of interesting and delicious bottles. They also source some fruit on the coast and produce stunning Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc there.
Viña Koyle isn’t growing in size, but they are growing in specificity. Those new bottles I mentioned are block specific offerings, unique in that they could only come from that place on earth. Sine current Covid conditions mean Cristóbal and I are unlikely to get together in person this year to drink, eat, and talk wine and life. I asked him to participate in a Zoom session with me. He readily agreed and you can (and should) watch our chat below. We covered a myriad of topics and tasted these wines.
Viña Koyle Costa La Flor 2019 Sauvignon Blanc ($18)
This was my first time tasting this specific expression of Sauvignon Blanc and I was duly impressed. Everything here is about balance. Citrus aromas and flavors abound, but are never over the top. The aromatics in particular are a bit reticent. But this wine has good mouthfeel and texture, tremendous acid, and more than enough fruit. it’s a study in precision. The world id loaded with too many simple Sauvignon Blancs that are all flash and little substance. Turn that idea on its head and you have Koyle Costa La Flor; all substance, minimal flash.
Viña Koyle 2017 Royale Cabernet Sauvignon ($24)
Starting with their initial commercial vintage in 2007, Koyle has always made solid Cabernet Sauvignon. But it’s gotten really dialed in over recent vintages. A wine that once clearly screamed Chile, now speaks very clearly about not only Colchagua Valley, but their specific property. From the first whiff to the very last sip berry fruit, minerals, spice and bits of earth tell the story here. This is a very good, well made Cabernet Sauvignon at any price. For $24, it’s a steal.
Viña Koyle 2017 Cerro Basalto Cuartel G2 ($40)
This block specific expression of Carménère (75%) and Cabernet Franc (25%) epitomizes the brass ring Cristóbal has been after all these years. They planted these two varieties together in very rocky soil and the results are impressive, to say the least. At first taste the Carménère makes itself known with oodles of juicy purple fruit. But give it time and air, the Franc rears its head. Eventually what you have is a situation where the sum is better than the parts. At 75% it could legally be labelled a Carménère. But that’s not nearly precise enough to describe it. It has more to do with the site it’s planted on than anything. There’s lots of dark fruit here and spice, plus a reasonable amount of tannin. Ultimately what you have is a wine that could only be made by one man and his team, in one, very specific place. I can’t wait to get back to Chile and drink this wine right in the block it’s grown.
Watch us talk about all three wines and taste them below.