Wines of Chile Grand Tasting -part 1 - whites

Yesterday, I got to participate in a large tasting of Chilean wines. 60 producers, over 300 wines, and only 4 hours. I tasted a lot of wines (lost count; maybe 70-80), but missed a bunch that I would have loved to have tried.

I started with a few whites, mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The Sauv Blancs were hit-and-miss; while they all had the characteristic Chilean muskiness, which I like in small amounts, many winemakers seem to be following the trend of New Zealand producers, and making their Sauv Blancs very grapefruity. Personally, I don't care too much for grapefruit, and if I want a wine like that, I'll go for one from New Zealand. I'd prefer to have something really different to choose.
For the Sauv Blancs, the best I tasted were Las Mulas 2010 from Miguel Torres, and Millaman Estate Reserve Sauv Blanc, which is not yet available in the US. The offering from MontGras was also very nice, tasting even more old style than the others, with a nice hint of grassiness, and very clean.

With the Chardonnays, I was very pleasantly surprised. Until this tasting, I'd never found a Chilean Chard that I really cared for. But it seems that Chilean winemakers are finding new ways of treating Chardonnay, with the trend seeming to be 4-8 months oak aging, but no malolactic fermentation. The result is wines that are elegant and crisp, stylistcally  falling somewhere between some of the better Sonoma Coast Chards, and those from Burgundy. And of course, since they are from Chile, the values are much better than either, with several great examples under $20.
My favorites were Carmen's Grand Reserva 2010, and Marques de Casa Concha 2009 from the Limari Valley; both rich and elegant. Also worth a mention is the offering from William Cole, which while not quite as rich as the others, at a price of only $11, represents a great value.

But my biggest revelation was late in the day, when I discovered a couple of Pedro Ximenez wines. I'm so used to thinking of this as a super-sweet Sherry, that I forget that it is a nice crisp white. I tasted two, one from Vina Falernia, and the second from Geo wines, their Cucao PX. Both are from the Elqui Valley, and area more known for growing grapes for Pisco. Both are excellent, with the Cucao barely coming out ahead in my view.
These remind me most of Torrontes from Argentina, but not as floral, and a little softer, although still plenty of refreshing acidity. I'll have to try them again to be sure, since the experience of drinking a bottle is very different from taking a few sips at a tasting, but I think that this may be my new favorite white wine. Well worth searching for!