Cinsault

Grapes from forty-five- to one-hundred-and-twenty-year-old vines include Cinsault, Carignan, Malbec, Syrah, Carmenere and Pais, drawn from Southern Chile’s Itata and Maule regions at two hundred fifty to three hundred fifty metres. Red granite, sandy and quartz soils underpin the sites. Each component is fermented with native yeast in stainless steel and cement before blending. Pitch, black raspberry, thorns and earthy character meet tight minerality, with cassis grip on the finish.

Earthy wild strawberry, red fruit and dusty rose meet floral, potpourri and spicy freshness. The palate is medium-bodied and fleshy, with mineral tension and a soft finish. Cinsault comes from five dryland bush-vine parcels ranging from fourteen to fifty years old. The wine is wild fermented, matured in concrete eggs and foudres, bottled unfiltered and classified as vegan.

Red fruit and herbs appear in a fresh, lively profile with supple tannins. Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault form the blend. Indigenous yeasts drive natural fermentation, and no sulphites are added. The wine is certified organic and made under France’s Vin Méthode Nature framework, with minimal cellar intervention. The finished wine is dry and carries thirteen and a half percent alcohol.

Hand-harvested Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah and Pinotage were fermented separately, mostly under carbonic conditions, with some open-top semi-carbonic treatment. After eight days, the lots were pressed into neutral French barrels, aged for ten months, blended and bottled unfined and unfiltered with a small sulphur addition. Red and black berries, wild herbs, earth and black pepper appear with tart-fruit acidity and a long finish.

Brambly berries, pomegranate, rosehip and white pepper appear with dried flowers, smoke and spice. The palate is bone dry, with taut tannins and a stony mineral finish. Cinsault comes from four old vineyards on granite soils in Guarilihue Alto. Whole clusters ferment with indigenous yeast in oak tanks at low temperatures for fifteen days, while maceration lasts twelve days. Ageing lasts one year in concrete and large oak casks.

Cherry and anise appear with red berries and sweet spice. Rooibos tea and sandalwood smoke are also present. The palate is textured, generous and dense, with polished tannins and a full body. The blend consists of sixty percent Grenache, twenty-five percent Syrah, ten percent Mourvèdre and five percent Cinsault. The wine is dry, red and fifteen percent alcohol.

Cinsault accounts for forty-nine percent of the blend, Grenache Noir forty-two percent and Syrah nine percent. The varieties mature separately for twelve months in seasoned 500-litre French oak barrels. Cranberry, watermelon, blueberry and cinnamon are present, with delicate tannins, earth and new leather. The finish carries cranberry and redcurrant. Alcohol is 12.96 percent, and the wine comes from Piekenierskloof.

Deep ruby colour accompanies ripe dark berries, cherry and pungent flowers. A spicy element develops with air. The palate is broad and pliant, with juicy cherry cola, black raspberry and a hint of liquorice. Even tannins are present, along with a persistent finish carrying cherry and spice. The blend comprises Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation.