Producer
Morandé was founded in 1996 by Pablo Morandé, and found immediate recognition both domestically and abroad. Morandé are true pioneers – they were the first family to develop the Casablanca D.O., recognising the fantastic potential of this cool-climate wine region. They also led the way in reviving old viticultural regions such as Maule and Itata, working with old dry-farmed bush vines and unconventional varieties such as Carignan, País and Cinsault. All of the wines are produced with grapes from Morandé’s own vineyards. Their winemaking philosophy is guided by seeking the right terroir for each grape variety, and with significant vineyard holdings they are well placed to achieve this.
Vineyard
The grapes come from the lowest and coldest vineyards of the El Ensueño estate. Its soils are sandy clay with low fertility. The climate has a strong maritime influence and presents the classic pattern of morning fog that dissipates by mid-day. The vines are clone 5 and Davis 1. The former lends texture and mineral characters, while the latter contributes aromas and abundant fruit. The grapes were harvested by hand into tenkilo baskets in early April.
Winery
Two-thirds was whole-cluster pressed, and the rest destemmed, crushed and macerated for six hours. Eighty percent of the juice was fermented in 2,000-litre oak casks, the rest in concrete eggs. The wine then aged in those vessels for six months, with fortnightly lees stirring.
