Pais en Tinaja Vina Gonzalez Bastias

Located in the western Maule Valley, in the midst of Chile's coastal range, so far removed from any city that the only way to arrive is via a slow train (top speed 20 mph!) and a canoe trip across the Maule River! Needless to say, viticulture on this special 4 hectare vineyard is organic, with biodynamic preparations made on site. The vines are primarily 200 year old (you read that correctly, 200 years old!) Mission vines, with a smattering of very old (but slightly less old) Moscatel Negra. Following harvest, this wine is literally hand pressed. Hands are used to press grapes through traditional bamboo canes (called "zarandas"), then the wine ferments in a small concrete tank. Here it is punched down multiple times a day, and then finally it is transferred to amphora where it ages until bottling. Aromas are sappy, with root beer and ripe red fruit intermingling with a foresty quality and powdered licorice. The flavors are juicy, very rich and yet still with good freshness. A certain influence, perhaps from the seeds, can be detected in this wine's tannins as well, which further bolsters this fascinating hand-made wine. *Natural wine*