País, Marga Marga Valley, Valparaíso, Chile
It almost sounds implausible – País from 200 year old, ungrafted vines as tall as trees on a forgotten, mountainside vineyard? It’s true! Made by natural wine trailblazers Carolina Alvarado and Arturo Herrera, this untamed, slightly feral red translates to “black gold,” a fitting name for the yawning depths of this glossy, highly concentrated wonder. Fermented and aged in old barrels made out of repurposed Chilean Rauli for 15 months and bottled without fining, filtration or sulphur, this is soulful and wise with a determinedly young disposition – dried and juicy cranberry, red licorice, herb stem & scorched earth with a bright acid that’s like a canary in a coal mine. Ephemeral in the extreme, try it with grilled fare for a guaranteed epiphany.
