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89POINTS
16¼/20
Pipeno Blanco 2017
Valle del Maule, Region del Valle Central, ChileLouis-Antoine Luyt went down to Chile at 22 years old, fell fell in love with the country and especially her native grape Pais, which was entirely unappreciated back in 1988. After a return to France, wine studies in Beaune, and harvests in Beaujolais (where he became great mates with natural winemaking legend Marcel Lapierre), Luyt returned to Chile to make wine. He sources high altitude, dry farmed vineyards in the south of Chile, where he could find ancestral vines up to 200 years old. Pipeño, a term that used to denote peasant wines, are his 'entry level' tier, smashable and approachable. He vinifies using the traditional Chilean methods dating back to the 16th century: pressing the grapes on a zaranda sieve made of sticks, with free run juice falling into lagares. The wine is kept in pipas, casks made of redwood. Blanco, a blend of moscatel de alexandria, torontel, corinta and cristalina from Maule and Itata, spends three weeks on the skins and is lightly filtered before bottling. You can feel the grippy / gritty skin contact housing elderflower, Oolong tea, jasmine, crystalline lemon, and fine white pepper and star anise spicing on a light palate. Very herbal, earthy and fine, this is a distinct, remarkable wine, and amazing value. Fortunately this comes in a 1L bottle.Tasted: 12 March 2018Tasted by: Treve RingPrices:| BC | $28.00 | 1000ml | private wine shops |
Blend: Moscatel de Alexandria - Torontel - Corinta - Cristalina, CSPC: 205677
