Chilean trailblazers: Richards’ dozen

Vinos Baettig, Selección de Parcelas Chardonnay, Traiguén, Malleco 2018 95 £ 51 Fine & Rare

Francisco Baettig’s new wines are taking Chilean Chardonnay and Pinot to a new level. Subtle aromatics lead into a sumptuous yet tense, ageworthy palate profile. Utterly cogent and beautifully fluent: grace and class in a flinty, gently nutty style. Very grown-up. If this wine’s too pricey, let yourself be convinced by the excellentvalue 2019 Vino de Viñedo Chardonnay or Pinot Noir at about £ 20. You won’t regret it. Drink 2020-2030 Alcohol 12.5%

Garage Wine Co, Isidore Vineyard

Lot # F1 Semillon, Maule 2018 91

£ 28 Bibendum Wine

Semillon has been seriously underrated in Chile over the years, but now we’re belatedly seeing a renaissance as producers learn to prize and nurture what are often old vines, crafting ever more complex, refined wines. This is a beautifully intense yet restrained rendition grown on old vines, fermented in amphora and aged on the skins for 11 months. Despite this billing, the wine retains purity and focus, in a crunchy, mineral style with layered flavours on the palate, and a hint of orange rind. Complex but understated, this is another characterful and engaging wine from these serial overperformers. Drink 2020-2026 Alc 13.5%

Viña Marty, Goutte d’Argent Chardonnay, Leyda Valley, San Antonio 2019 91

£ 18.49 Chiltern Wines, Diogenes the Dog,

Maul’s Wine & Cheese, Nécco, Winesnvines

The reason for using sake yeast is to enable a very cold and long fermentation, with protracted lees contact, to give the wine subtle aromas but a broad, textured mouthfeel. (It also meant a delay after the yeast instructions arrived only in Japanese...) This is Chardonnay with a difference, from the notes of popcorn, melon and brioche to the rich, yeasty texture and juicy acidity. There’s more than a hint of Chablis about it.

Drink 2020-2024 Alc 13.5%