Although there have been some Ruby Port styled fortified wines emerging out of Chile, there’s only been one Tawny Port styled Chilean wine that I’ve found.
Fortified Chilean Wines
Sweet wines are still not all that common in Chile. There are traditional ones like Asoleado or Pajarete. There are even less fortified wines. Calyptra, Alcohuaz and Casa Donoso are relatively the most easy to find, but normally it’s something you find at a wine fair more than a wine shop. They’re all Ruby styled fortified wines.
The only Tawny Port-like wine in Chile that I know of is made by Viñateros de Raíz and Viña del Señor as a collaboration. What are Tawny Ports? They differ from Ruby Ports in that they are aged in smaller barrels for a lot longer to allow slow oxidation. They can be aged anywhere from 3 years to 40 years. With more age, the more nutty, dried fruit and leathery it gets. You can get creamy caramel notes too.
I happened to have an Ambré Rivesaltes around from my trip in the Cotes Catalanes over a year ago, so I opened it up to compare. Ambré wines are made like Tawny Ports but they are made with white wine grapes while Tawny Ports are made with red grapes (although sometimes a little white wine is in Tawny Ports). Tuilé wines in Rivesaltes would be the closer equivalent to Tawny Ports in that they use red varieties.
Tasting Notes
I don’t drink enough Port or fortified wine to feel like I can rate them, and I’ll admit that these were drunk after 13 other bottles, so I didn’t take many notes. Sorry.
NV Viñateros de Raiz & Viña del Señor AMBAR Maipo (½ bottle)
It was less than $20. The primary winemaker is Sergio Hormazabal of Vinateros de Raiz. A tawny style fortified wine made of Grenache and Mourvedre. Grenache is the primary grape used in Rivesaltes Tuilé, so in terms of grape variety, it’s closer to Rivesaltes than Tawny Port, which uses a blend of Portuguese varieties. Solera method since 2015, so that means parts of this wine are 10 years of age or younger. A little simple as a Tawny style. Sweet and alcoholic. But lacks complexity and balance. Not as creamy. Lacks acidity. Not as much almond and nutty notes. I had this a few years ago, it was a little thicker and nuttier, but it probably wasn’t the same bottling.
NV Terrassous Rivesaltes Ambré Hors d’âge 6 ans
This is more on the entry level of this cooperative, so it wasn’t expensive. Probably less than $20 too. 100% Grenache Blanc. Aged 6 years. More balanced. Don’t feel the alcohol as much. More acid. A bit of earthiness to balance out the sweetness. Silkier feel. Everyone preferred this to the Chilean Tawny. However, we’re talking hundreds of years making this style of wine in the region versus 10 years for this producer.