Gonzalez Bastias 2019 'Matorral' Pais, Maule Valley

Gonzalez Bastias 2019 'Matorral' Pais, Maule Valley

Item Number: 15720

UPC: 7-804658070001

Country: Chile
Region: Central Valley
Sub Region: Maule
Appellation/AVA: Maule Valley
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2019
Grape(s): 100% Pais
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12.7
Viticulture: Practicing Biodynamic

Fruit Source: This 100% estate Pais is from a 200-year-old single vineyard in the Maule region. The vineyard is farmed without irrigation or the use of machines and according to biodynamic principles.

Winemaking Notes: The grapes are manually harvested. The fruit is pressed by hand over bamboo zarandas into open top cement vats. The fruit is punched down for 7-10 days during fermentation. Fermentation occurs naturally with native yeast. No additives or sulfur are used. The wine matures for 12 months in old oak barrels and another 8 months in bottle before release.

Tasting Notes: Sweet notes of plum, almonds, anise, and brown sugar show on the nose with hints of pineapple sage, pine nettles, and and brown sugar lead to a smooth, nicely balanced palate. This wine has a wild almost salve quality.

Reviews

  • Decanter
    Rating: 89 (10/15/2022)

    José Luis Gomez Bastias is the fifth generation to make wine from centenarian vines on the south bank of the Maule river. Fermented in large pipas, this País spends 12 months in old oak, bringing a subtle spiciness to the grape's classic earthy tones and bright red-black fruits. Concentrated in fruit but easy to drink thanks to its refreshing acidity.

  • Descorchados
    Rating: 93 (2/23/2021)
    Matorral is a mix of different sectors of the González Bastías vineyard, plus grapes that they buy from neighbors in that sector on the Maule coast. These are very old vines, some 200 years old, which are ground with the traditional "zaranda" and fermented in open cement and raulí foudres. Aging is about six months in 80-year-old wooden foudres. The result is an almost delicate country, with very firm and rough tannins, needles on the palate. The fruit is intense red, with floral tones in a refreshing and juicy wine. An important change in this red, which in recent harvests has changed significantly, and all thanks to earlier harvests that have given it shine.