MAULEVALLEY,CHILE
- ’
ofSantiago, the landofMaule
Valley isa largelyundeveloped
wildernessareathat ishome
to100-year-oldvinesthat
werechieflydestined forboxed
wine forthebetterpartof the
lastcentury.Overthe last10
years, though,asmallgroupof
independent-mindedboutique
winemakersdecidedtoscale
thingsbacktothebasics—dry
farming,handlinggrapesby
hand—andarenowemerging
asviticulturalrepomenarmed
withrenaissancevarieties
likecarignane,ared
varietalofMediter-
raneanorigins,that
arechallengingChile’s
industrialvineyard
giantsandmoving
Mauletowardbecom-
ingthecountry’sfirst
appellation.
Winetasting in
theMaule isunlike
anythingawine lover
could imagine inNapa
orBordeaux.Thereare
nofancytastingrooms,
nobrandedcorkscrews
forsale,nopressureto
jointhewineclub,no
gimmickswhatsoever
to lurevisitors in— just
agroupoffamily-run
wineriesabsolutely
committedtoremoving
thebellsandwhistles
fromthewinemaking
process inordertoor-
ganicallyproducewines
withastorytotell.
TakeRafaelTirado,
forexample,oneof
agaggleofrenegade
winemakerswhoare
transformingthe
Maule intooneof the
NewWorld’smostexcitingand
eccentricwineregions:He
purposelyplantedhisvine-
yardsatLaberinto inmyriad
disorientatingways— i.e.,non-
conformistcompassdirections
inrelationtoshadeandsun,
incircles insteadofrows, ina
mazemodeledafterthe laby-
rinthatChartresCathedral in
France.TheMaule is justkind
of likethat.
Tiradoalsowelcomesguests
intohisownhome,wherehe
doesall thecooking,pouring
andcleaningonhisown.The
fruitsofhis laborspeak for
themselves.His2011Ceni-
zasdeBarloventoSauvignon
Blanc,allcrisp, tangyand
invigorating,popsonthepal-
ate likenowhitewineanyone
inmygroup,aself-confessed
hordeofreddevotees,hadever
experienced.Wepractically fell
overoneanother,begginghim
tosellussome,whichhedid—
rightafterherandownslopeto
thecellarandhand-labeledthe
bottleshimself.
DerekMossmanKnapp,
anotherofMaule’sbold,organic
winemakers, isaCanadian
runningaone-familyshowat
GarageWineCo.,andheputs
hiswinewherehismouth is:He
drivesthetrucks,horse-plows
thevineyardsandhand-
harveststhegrapesuntilhecan
no longerwasho¥thepurple
stains fromhisfingertips.Sell-
inghisvintagesviaWhatsApp,
hispurpose lies inrestoring
Chile’s identitywithold-style
techniquesandvarietals.
“WeareChile’sminutemen,
butwefightasilentrevolution
thathas interestbeingplaced
onroots,history,authenticity
andcharacter,”hesays.
IFYOUGO
SantiagoAdventures
adventures.com
)
runs excellent
bespoke tours to the
MauleValley.
STAY:
Themost
charming spot to
stay is
MingreWine
Lodge
, an 1892
homesteadat
J.
BouchonWinery
.cl
). Themeticu–
lously restored
casona is rifewith
courtyard-strewn
lemonandorange
trees, andoffers
homestylemeals
andplentyof fire-
warmedhospitality.
EAT:
If reserved
inadvance,
J.
Bouchon
,
Gillmore
WineryandVine-
yards
(
www
.gillmore.cl
) and
Laberinto
(
www
.laberintowines
.cl
) all offermeals
with their tast-
ings, usuallywith
(or preparedby)
thewinemakers
themselves.
TASTE: Laberinto
’s
unorthodoxplant-
ingmethods easily
make for themost
interesting tasting
experience in the
region. This tiny
boutiquewinery’s
sauvignonblanc,
pinot noir and
cabernet sauvignon/
merlot blendare
all outstanding.
J.
Bouchon
,
Gillmore
,
GarageWineCo.
(
www .garage
wineco.cl
) and
Erasmo
boro.com
) are also
requisite stops.
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
AUTUMN
77
