2017 Tabalí Vetas Blancas Malbec-Cabernet Franc Vinedo Espinal Valle de Limari DO

Located at the extreme intersection of rugged coastline, wild desert, and Andes mountain terroir, Tabalí has earned its place as one of Chile’s First Growths. The estate’s exhilarating 2017 Vetas Blancas underscores why this remote Limarí Valley property deserves the spotlight. 

Showing a lively dark purple hue, it explodes into aromas of violet, spice, and dark berries, framed by cocoa and graphite, which speaks to Tabalí’s rocky terroir. Silky tannins lengthen the texture into a gorgeous finish that stays with you long after the glass has been drained. 

South America’s leading wine guide, Descorchados, rated Tabalí’s newest blend an impressive 94 points, calling it “incredible.”

Decanter’s Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, recently crowned Tabalí with the First Growth title before calling the estate’s portfolio his Chilean “Wines of the Year” for 2021. Not surprisingly, our one-time discovery is now becoming harder and harder to find. 

Yet thanks to our well-timed pilgrimage to the Limarí Valley, we secured an allocation of Tabalí’s thrilling 2017 Vetas Blancas red—before the media uncovered this extreme coastal Andes property in Chile’s isolated northwest. 

It requires serious dedication just to get there. Located 200 miles north of Santiago and just west of the Atacama Desert—the driest place on Earth—Limarí is among the northernmost winegrowing regions in Chile. After a full day of airport transfers, the purity of this red was like an elixir, echoing the gusty winds that rolled off the ocean in the afternoon we arrived. 

Even the air tasted crisp and refreshing, and its effect on Tabalí’s Vetas Blancas was as rejuvenating as the wine was for us. 

“As a winemaker, I don’t like to cook. I show the wine as it is,” Tabalí winemaker Felipe Müller said as he drove us through the Limarí foothills on the way to Viñedo Espinal—a desolate vineyard dotted with cacti and covered with stony volcanic soils streaked with white limestone veins. It’s those vetas blancas that account for the beautiful mineral character and lively aromatics in this wine. 

Just 14 miles from the Pacific, this coastal vineyard’s 840-foot elevation imparts an additional cooling element to the grapes. This unique convergence translates into a wild paradise for Malbec and Cabernet Franc, accounting for this unique blend’s tension, vibrant aromas, and wonderful mineral thread.

After a 12-hour flight to Santiago and the additional journey to Limarí, this wine is our reward. It’s a trip that few are willing to make, so the wines reflect a price that feels blissfully stuck in another era, despite the vast critical acclaim for the region’s top bottles. 

Take advantage of Tabalí’s pricing now, before the rest of the world finally catches on to the thrilling values coming out of this world-class estate.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.50%
• 15 mins
• Now – 2026
• 60% Malbec40% Cabernet Franc
• Serving temperature – 60°
• Cork