Maule Valley, the cradle of the new, old Chile

The Maule Valley is the largest wine region in Chile and is also the most diverse in terms of geography and climate, including flat, sunny valleys, coastal hills, and a long central corridor. Currently, it has more than 50,000 hectares planted with wine vines, of which 74% correspond to red varieties and 26% to white varieties.

The climate of this area is mainly Mediterranean, with a great influence of cold wind coming from the Andes Mountain, which increases the daily thermal oscillation and reduces the period of maximum temperatures, helping the fruit to ripen in good conditions. Its soils are mostly of granite origin, which has been formed by the decomposition of granite rocks over millions of years. It is these conditions, of climate and soil, that make red and white varieties found in the Maule Valley, particularly in the interior and coastal drylands, the ideal terroir to settle.

In fact, it is since the 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish settlers and the first vines, that varieties such as País and Moscatel, and later Carignan, Cinsault, and Semillon, found their greatest potential in the Maule lands. Not particularly traditional strains, which have been produced in these soils for hundreds of years and have become an authentic wine heritage that does not exist in other parts of the world and that are giving Chile a new position in the world of wine.

In the search to rescue and give value to this area and to all that rich wine tradition, Morandé developed the Terroir Wines project, a line of wines from the Maule Valley, which is made from centuries-old vines, rescuing the ancient traditions of the region, such as its small artisan producers and its old head-pruned vines. A line of wines that is produced under a modern prism that invites you to get to know that new, old Chile.

The Terroir Wines portfolio has 3 wines; a Carmenère Malbec with notes of black fruit, cedar, and clove, which is round, smooth, and complex on the palate; a medium to light bodied Cinsault País, juicy and full of fruit flavors; and a Semillón, juicy with great freshness and acidity with notes of citrus fruits, pears, and honey. The 3 are wines with a great sense of place and identity and seek to reflect in an emblematic way the entire experience of the vineyard as well as the extraordinary value that the Maule terroir means.

Terroir Wines Cinsault-País 2020, also obtained a Gold Medal –equivalent to 95 points– and had a Best Value mention. This wine, which is part of the Vinos del Maule line, brings together all the pioneering experiences of the vineyard in rescuing ancestral varieties and seeking to produce great wines from centuries-old vines. This Cinsault-País was recognized for its notes of wild fruits, cherries, and plums, in addition to its fresh, frank, and not a cloying body. The jury even mentioned in its tasting note: “I would love it if more entry-price Chilean reds were like this.”

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