For me, working with Chardonnay is an ongoing exercise in interpretation. Few varieties respond with such sensitivity to the place where they are grown and to the decisions we make in the winery. Over the years, I have learned that its versatility lies not only in its ability to adapt, but in how precisely it translates the nuances of each terroir. In Chile, particularly in cool-climate regions, this variety has revealed profiles of remarkable tension, freshness, and depth that continue to surprise me.
The search for new terroirs is embedded in the DNA of Viña Morandé, and today this is reflected in a portfolio where wines as distinctive as Vitis Única Chardonnay from Casablanca and Black Series Chardonnay from the Malleco Valley coexist. Separated by nearly 700 kilometers, these two regions differ greatly in climate, soils, and geography, yet share something essential: the ability to reveal new expressions of Chilean Chardonnay.
Chardonnay in Casablanca Valley
In Casablanca, maritime influence sets the rhythm of the vineyard. Cool breezes from the Pacific slow down ripening, allowing the grapes to retain their natural acidity and develop an elegant, precise profile with persistent freshness. In the Lo Ovalle sector, we work with a very specific parcel, characterized by clay-granitic soils, the presence of quartz, and low fertility, which naturally limits vine vigor and promotes slow, balanced ripening. The vines are planted at high density, encouraging deeper root systems and concentrating fruit expression.
When the fruit reaches the winery, the challenge is simply to allow the wine to express itself. Part of the must is fermented with the skins, enhancing texture and complexity, while another portion is whole-cluster pressed to preserve purity and definition. Fermentation with high turbidity, followed by aging in barrels and foudres made of oak and acacia in different volumes, allows us to craft a Chardonnay that combines volume and delicacy, supported by a very fine balance between acidity and fruit.
Chardonnay in Malleco Valley
If Casablanca speaks of precision, the Malleco Valley places us at the edge. The area of Traiguén represents one of the southernmost winegrowing frontiers in Chile, where the climate imposes challenging conditions that shape the profile of the wines year after year. Summers are short, winters long and rainy, and ripening occurs slowly. Average temperatures are low, around 12.2°C; frost is frequent in certain areas, and yet Chardonnay finds a way to express itself with remarkable purity, excellent natural acidity, and notable concentration.
The soils are deep and volcanic, with red clay and friable rock, ensuring both drainage and water retention in balance. Vine growth is naturally limited, and yields are restrained. It was in this context that Black Series Chardonnay was born in 2020.
In the winery, we respect this character from the very beginning. Hand harvesting in small boxes preserves the integrity of the fruit. Gentle pressing and fermentation with its turbidity, in foudres and barrels of different sizes, allow the wine to gain complexity without losing typicity. Malolactic conversion is partial, precisely to preserve the natural tension provided by the terroir. After ten months of aging, the result is a more restrained, deep Chardonnay, with firm acidity and a finely drawn aromatic profile.
Between Casablanca and Malleco, we trace a path of dedication and discovery. Throughout this process, there is a constant dialogue between nature and intervention, in which every decision must serve what the grape already carries within. It is precisely in this convergence that, with each vintage, we find new ways of interpreting Chardonnay in Chile.
by Ricardo Baettig.