2019 Pablo & Ronaldo 'Oro Blanco' Chasselas
Aromatically subtle, just-ripe white stone fruits, blossoms, walnuts, something mountainous about it. Barrel ageing and lees stirring has balanced the acid line with a supple palate weight. Light on its feet, digestible, and balanced.
25 days on skins in stainless steel and open-top barrique, pressed to two barriques only, bottled at 6 months.
10.8 alc, So2 after malo only. Unfined and unfiltered.
25 days on skins in stainless steel and open-top barrique, pressed to two barriques only, bottled at 6 months. 10.8 alc, So2 after malo only: 11ppm total, 1ppm free. Unfined and unfiltered.
Although Chasselas (locally known as Corinto) is a historic Itata varietal, the vines are rarely planted separately but instead dispersed amongst the Moscatel sites - the latter more valued because of its intense aromatics and higher sugar levels. This is the first time Chasselas from the family's vineyard has ever been fermented separately. This year Pablo went to the trouble of picking each of the randomly dispersed vines separately, and quite early. Aromatically subtle, just-ripe white stone fruits, blossoms, walnuts, something mountainous about it. Barrel ageing and lees stirring have balanced the acid line with a supple palate weight. Light on its feet, digestible, balanced, very varietal.
Childhood friends Pablo Solis and Ronald Vera were born into traditional farming and winemaking in Guarilihue, Itata. Their fathers saw the boom and then bust of the wine market. Both families still make and sell traditional Pipeno in bulk, but the lack of a rural labour force and the low price of bulk wine obliged their fathers to rely on glyphosate and chemical fertilisers.
Pablo and Roland are among the scant few of the next generation to stay on the farm and embark on solo projects, transitioning parcels back to traditional organic practices using a horse and plough, and being the first generation to bottle wine (historically pipeno is sold bulk or in 5lt flagons).
These small batch wines, to which the boys each contribute grapes, are made naturally and traditionally, with very small amounts of So2. Using traditional techniques (everything fully destemmed and fermented on skins and pressed when dry, meaning the reds are light and the whites always amber), intuition and naturally keen palates, they co-ferment their grapes to make wines of incredible poise and depth with serious acid lines, always very clean and light on their feet, true to varietal and to place.
We're so proud to be the first importers to work with this collaborative project and support the incredible project of transition the boys have undertaken.
| Wine Region | Chile |
|---|---|
| Region - Detailed | Guarilihue, Itata |
| Liquor License | 33776394 - 36159857 |
| Occasion | Surprise |
| Wine Tags | Barrel Ferment, Exciting, Grower Producer, Hand Harvested, Low Alcohol, Low Sulphur, Minimal Intervention, Natural, No Additives, No Machines, Sustainable Practices, Unfiltered, Unfined, Vegan |
| Year | 2020 |
| Body | Medium |
| Grape Variety Description | Known as Corinto in Itata and Bio Bio, the most likely genetic candidate is Chasselas. But the varietal has been here for perhaps centuries and is now entirely endemic. Early ripening, always low alcohol, very very rarely vinified separately because it has always been co-fermented with the more prolific and aromatically dominant Moscatel de Alejandria, and because it is very rare to find separate parcels. Most vines are scattered amongst Moscatel parcels. |
| Size | 750ml |
| Enable Enquiry | Default |