More Chilean producers are connecting to their Spanish heritage these days by making Spanish varietals. Here are two new Tempranillo wines in Chile.
Spanish Wine Influence in Chile
The Spanish were the first to bring wine grapes to Chile, and thus the recent renaissance of traditional winemaking in Chile in places like the Itata and the Maule Valleys are a return back to the ways of the Spanish and Basque colonizers. This meant the production of varieties like Pais and Moscatel along with their criolla offspring that crossed over the years like Torontel. It’s not until Chilean independence when they started to be influenced more by French winemaking and varieties (read more about Chilean wine history).
However, some producers are looking towards modern Spain with varieties from Galicia and Tempranillo even though there are some imported Spanish options in Chile. In particular, G2, Fernando Almeda and La Viña del Señor focus on Spanish varieties.
Besides the wines I’m reviewing here, I can only think of a handful of producers who make varietal Tempranillo or a majority Tempranillo blend, such as Flaherty, Koyle, Bowines, La Vina del Senor, Origenes, and Villasenor. Italian winemaker Alessio Zenato at Hacienda San Juan has also just recently come out with a Chilean Tempranillo called Costante.
The two I’m reviewing today are tiny production Tempranillos, but perhaps they’re worth seeking out if you’re in Chile. Neither are expensive, but I’m not sure they’re being exported at the moment.
Tasting Notes
2021 Ricardo Escandón Güeyu Tempranillo Colchagua
100% Tempranillo. Destemmed and fermented in bins with daily punch downs. Unfiltered. 12 months in French oak barrels. No indication of how much was new oak. 600 bottles made. The nose actually takes me to Bordeaux more than Rioja or Chile, so I guess it’s the French oak. On the nose, there’s vanilla, spice, and cedar. The palate is juicy, sour plums with some spice on the backend. Higher acid than most commercial Chilean Bordeaux blend, average Rioja and many Bordeaux these days. Medium-bodied. Balanced overall although some may prefer more ripeness, roundness and body from their Tempranillo if they like Ribera del Duero or Napa reds, but I like that you get the oak notes of these wines, but in a lighter, fresher package on the palate. 90
2021 Atacalco Post Tempranillo Colchagua
Atacalco is a project of Morande winemaker Ricardo Baettig and Morande export manager Carlos Spoerer. It arose because they wanted to make skin-contact whites similar to Northern Italy using terracotta amphora from Italy. This is their Carabe line from Casablanca and Itata (Importer Brazos exports this line). However, recently they’ve started a Post line with reds: one with Pais and the other Tempranillo, also vinified and kept in amphora. 10 year old vines. 550 bottles made. Fermented and aged in amphora. The nose is only medium-low intensity and more on the savory and earthy side than fruit. I’m guessing native yeasts. The palate is medium-bodied with round but present tannins and tart red fruit. Overall, there’s more verve and edge on the palate than the nose. I don’t often drink unoaked Tempranillo. Occasionally, you can find Rioja Joven in Spain, which is unoaked Rioja with probably mostly Tempranillo. The few I have had have been fruity and simple. This one is more savory and tart than ripe and fruity. 90
Conclusion
Overall, these are two different expressions of Tempranillo from each other and from Spain, which makes them interesting. At the same time, they’re accessible wines and not just for wine geeks, especially the Güeyu. The Post is a little more for natural wine/low intervention wine lovers, but it’s not particularly funky. Rather, it’s just not influenced by oak or as ripe for average drinkers.