Chekura, "Mingaco, País/Cinsault" 2019

Producer Profile: One hectare of vines. This is as small a production as they come, yet as you may suspect, with the heart of an operation fifty times its size. Working in the southerly Itata Valley of Chile, perched on a hillside strewn with orange trees and perennials like melissa and thyme that melt into sunshine and sea air that wanders inland from the Pacific coast, Daniela de Pablo Mendoza and Pablo Pedreros cultivate a kind of paradise. Having downsized from his family’s six hectares to just the one, Pablo and Daniela’s goal was to live as freely, with as little environmental impact as possible. They follow regenerative agriculture; they replant at least 100 native trees per year to combat the otherwise omnipresence of the non-native and harmful eucalyptus tree; they cultivate flora biodiversity and practice permaculture; they built their house in 2016 from the red clay of the hillside they call home; they follow the lunar calendar and let the wine ferment outdoors, with the ambient temperatures of the weather (this is very uncommon and very beautiful). As for the grapevines themselves, they are 50+ year-old bush vines planted over granite and red clay – they yield honest fruit that has been regeneratively farmed for 10+ years now, meaning the fruit is of a ridiculously high quality if of an otherwise low-yield. Taste the future here for yourself; it can brim, in this small way, with hope.

Vinification: Pais and Cinsault from 40 and 100 year old vines. Grapes were harvested by hand and fermented with wild yeasts. Aged in fibreglass and bottled unfined, unfiltered with no SO2. 

Tasting: Light-bodied, almost bordering on a dark rosato. Freshly-picked blueberries, tart rhubarb and barbecue smoke. With an herbal edge, like evergreen, and a subtle savory quality, like roasted tomatoes. Serve with a light chill.