Catalina Ugarte, "Pais" 2020

Sourcing grapes from heirloom vineyards of 100+ years of age around the village of Ranquíl, located inland from the Pacific coast in southern Chile, Catalina Ugarte is another young winemaker cutting an exciting new path in this ancient winemaking region, the Itata Valley. Long an overlooked area in Chile's more 'modern' wine market - one that pandered to International grape varieties and blown-out International styles of wine that seemed to dominate the global market for the past 40 years - the southern winemaking regions of the country (rather than the north, where most modern outfits took hold) represent the ancient heartbeat of its viticultural heritage. This is why you can find treasures of grapevines hidden in the countryside, plants that have quietly been tended to for centuries, some of these vines that are more like little trees exceed 250 years of age! Working with growers in the Secano Interior of Chile's Itata Valley, Catalina Ugarte is several vintages in to her natural winemaking life, sourcing País fruit grown on centenarian vines planted in Granite and Clay & Cinsault fruit from own-rooted 50-year-old vines grown around the town of La Palma. The wines have shown improvement with each vintage and a particularly subtle touch when it comes to the País - her red showing yet another angle from which to understand this grape that once was thought to make uncharacteristic, lightly smoky, rustic reds. This is a beautiful, velvety País that is quite floral and fresh yet somehow retains some chew and has freed itself from any ornery, snappy tannins.  

Itata, Chile. From 100-year-old País vines rooted in salinic granite soils. Fermented in whole clusters in stainless and aged for 1 year in the same tank. Unfined, unfiltered, no SO2.