Wine Advocate/Robert Parker (2015)93 pts
Dec 2016 - Luis Gutierrez - A wine I had never tasted before is the 2015 The Blend Collection White. This wine mixes Mediterranean varieties from their vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley, more specifically from their Ocoa vineyard, some 50 kilometers away from the ocean. The blend (pun intended!) is 60% Marsanne 26% Roussanne and 14% Viognier that were harvested early in the morning and pressed immediately. The must was put to ferment after a short decanting keeping the varieties separate with some 35% of the volume going into second and third use French oak barrels, and the rest in stainless steel vats. It feels like the profile is dominated by Marsanne (they have reduced the amount of Roussanne), but there is still a little effect from the Viognier in the shape of peach aromas intermixed with more austere notes of dry hay and spices; there is some incipient complexity, hinting at the acacia flowers, and it is impressive for such young wine with some mineral, stony, flinty hints. The style is fresh with good acidity and nerve, not heavy and nicely balanced, with fresh acidity and plenty of soil/earthy sensations. This is a great Mediterranean white that opens up with time in the glass, so decant it in advance. It should also develop nicely in bottle.