Tinto de Rulo, Pipeno 2018

100% Pais from 70 year old vines, grown on granite soil, located in the Bio Bio Valley of southwest Chile. The grapes are first destemmed by hand, and then fermented using native yeasts in old Rauli wood barrels. Daily battonage takes place for extraction purposes, but for the most part, this is a light, fresh and easy-drinking red. Juicy strawberries, light barbecue smoke, gooseberry, and a touch of effervescence upon opening. Serve chilled.

Nestled between the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta (a sub-sierra of the Chilean Coastal Mountain Range) and the Andes, the wine-growing region of the Bio Bio Valley experiences unusually cool and extended growing seasons. It is here in 2013, atop primarily granitic soils and dealing with largely centenary vines, that three wine making friends decided to embark on a joint project that would attempt to recuperate and restore the traditional winemaking techniques of Chile’s deep viticultural past. Sourcing their grapes from local, like-minded organic/biodynamic farmers, Tinto de Rulo utilize amphorae and big, neutral barrels known as Pipas, which are crafted from the native Rauli Beech trees, to ferment and age their wines. The results are vibrant, refreshing, and often hyper-aromatic. They are practicing organic with an eye toward holistic terroir -- that is, to shepherd the entire climate of this place through the spirit and character of grapes that have deep history in Chile like País, Carignan, Moscatel de Alejandría, and Malbec. Unfiltered and unfined, there is a touch of minimal sulphur at bottling.