South America | Chile | Viña Maitia | Aupa Pipeño Old Vines Valle del Maule

Aupa Pipeño Old Vines Valle del Maule

Varietals
80% Pais, 20% Carignan

Notes
VINEYARD: The vineyard is located in Loncomilla, Maule, in a valley which benefits from a sub-humid Mediterranean climate where high temperatures in the summer are cooled by the breeze from the Humboldt current in the Pacific Ocean. This 10-hectare, 120-year-old, dry farmed vineyard of low-yielding bush vines is worked without intervention and with a sustainable approach of viticulture. The País grape, also known as Mission grape, has a reputation for low acid and light color, and is a grape variety in decline in Chile. Viña Maitia’s País develops extraordinary concentration and flavor. Old vine Carignan is added for additional structure, color and acidity.

VINIFICATION: : All vineyard work is done by hand: horse-powered plowing and hand-harvested grapes are fermented with natural yeast in cement vats. Carbonic maceration occurs for half of the lots to emphasize the fruit. Carignan is whole cluster fermented. Maturation occurs in neutral concrete vessels. Wine is lightly filtered before bottling with low SO2 (used to guard against the only vine disease in this growing area - powdery mildew).

TASTING NOTES: The wine is light in color with bright notes of raspberry, cherry, and rose petals that lead into underlying hints of dried herbs, fennel seeds, oregano and thyme. This fruit driven, easy drinking wine has fresh acid and low tannin. Best enjoyed with a slight chill.
Pipeño is an old style of Chilean wine that was produced in a simple manner and meant to be enjoyed by farmers. While pipeño historically has a reputation as a quaff some folks drink like water, David Marcel and Loreto Garau, owners and operators of Viña Maitia, believe pipeño is a Chilean wine tradition worth preserving. "Aupa" translates roughly to "go on" in Euskera, the language of the País Vasco where David is from.