2014 Huaso De Sauzal Carinena

Renan Cancino, originally from the lost-in-time village of Sauzal, worked as a consultant viticulturist for many years for large wineries before returning home to his community. He vocally demands the market respect the original cultivars and traditional winemaking and wants to bring economic life back to his community. The Cariñena comes from 4 different sites expressing 2 distinct terroirs of Sauzal, all granitic soils, and portions of Renan’s neighbours’ wines. Traditional vinification: fully destemmed manually using wooden Zarandas (screens of native bamboo). Wild, open ferment in large beechwood vessels and aged for 12 months in old barriques before being bottled.

This is a zero-preservative wine built to last. Carignan has very firm tannins and when grown at altitude on old vines, naturally very high acidity. There is an intensity about this wine, so much bright red fruit, acidity, very structured and more brooding fresh blackberries. This is a wine to be eaten with simple yet rich food, traditionally with home-grown lamb on the spit.