Finding varietal Cinsault is not easy outside of Chile or Africa, and finding aged Cinsault is even harder. Can it age well?
Aging Cinsault
Cinsault is usually a blending grape with other Rhone varieties around the world. They add floral aromatics to a blend. However, only a handful of producers do a varietal version or a rosé version. Then there are a few places where varietal versions are more common. It has become the main grape of the Itata region in Chile as a monovarietal wine made from old vines. It is also widely planted in North and South Africa, where it can also be a monovarietal wine. I’ve run across some old-vine Cinsault in California too. Turley produces one.
Now, Cinsault is far from the first grape that comes to mind that I would want to age. It’s generally a soft, light and low-tannin wine. I’ve had a couple versions here in Chile made into a Cabernet-like Cinsault with a darker and more structured profile, but most Chilean Cinsaults are generally red fruit focused, soft and light.
When I found a 20 year old Itata Cinault, which had aged most its life in the cellars of the producer, I had to pick a bottle up to try. As a bonus, it was only $20. $20 for a 20 year old wine is a super-bargain. I was still apprehensive given the variety, but the way they aged the wine gave me hope. Chilean Cinsault is rarely aged in non-neutral oak if it’s aged in wood at all. It’s often aged in concrete, stainless steel or tinajas instead. This was aged for 15 months in 2nd use oak, so we’ll see.
Tasting Notes
2005 Ñipanto Wines Mujeres de Itata Reserva Familiar Cinsault Itata
100% Cinsault from a small 3 hectare parcel in Ñipas. Organic farming all by hand or animals. 15 months in 2nd use oak. The color is light and bricking at the edges. It looks like its age. The nose is mild with mild dried fruit and herbal notes. The palate is more expressive and elegant. Dried fruit dominated with medium acid. But feels younger than it is for the variety. Still floral. Some spice and coffee. Drinking well at 20 years old. It held up well 24 hours later. Still not full on tertiary. It’s not a blockbuster wine, but it keeps its delicate, pretty nature with complexity from oak and aging. It doesn’t have the minerality that younger Itata Cinsault can have though, so it depends what you want in your Cinsault. This was just so easy to drink. Am I going to put a bunch of bottles of Cinsault down to age 10+ years? Probably not. At the same time, I wouldn’t hesitate to try some older bottles again if it’s aged in oak. Plus Chilean Cinsault usually have decent acidity. 92
I drank a younger Cinsault from Itata (not pictured) soon after and was wondering if this was how the Ñipanto 2005 was 17 years ago. However, the Ñipanto was aged a lot longer in non-neutral barrels and made during a time when Itata Cinsault was not as big a thing as it is today. I’m not sure there was this established light and bright style with Guarilihue granitic minerality showing as there is today. The Ñipanto has darker fruit than most nowadays. It was made during a time when Robert Parker influenced the style of wines towards darker, bigger wines. On the other hand, the traditional, natural farming back then is probably similar to today.
2022 Garage Wine Co. The Soothsayers Ferment Cinsault Itata
Got it for around $15. 100% old-vine Cinsault from 3 parcels in Guarilihue. Aged for a few months in really old oak barrels. The nose is bright with minerally and earthy notes at first but as it opens up, it shows more typical floral notes. I really like the nose. The palate is more straightforward, fruity and light. Very cherry. Medium acid. Soft tannins. Slightly more alcohol than most. 91