Lomas de Llahuen "Desorden de Blancos" Itata Valley, Chile 2024

FROM JOSÉ PASTOR:

THE WINE: 50% Moscatel de Alejandría, 25% Chardonnay, 20% Semillon and 5% Riesling from the family's dry-farmed vines that range from 20 to 100 years old, planted on granitic clay-loam soils. The grapes are destemmed, macerated on their skins for 15 days in stainless steel tanks, gently pressed and gross lees settled out after 40 days, and then the wine rests in tank for 11 months before blending and bottling.

THE PRODUCER: Gustavo hails from Portezuelo, a typical area for Pipeño production in the Itata Valley. He has been making Pipeño in the traditional style, aged in Raulí, from his family’s vines for over 10 years. After receiving a government grant to study winemaking and farming, Gustavo spent a harvest with Benziger Family Winery, one of Sonoma’s pioneers of biodynamic farming. After working harvest, he was inspired to improve farming practices on his own family farm. He started by converting the property to organics and plans to incorporate biodynamic practices in the future. Lomas de Llahuen is the name for wines made with the fruit from old vines in Portazuelo that have been in Gustavo Riffo’s family for many years. Gustavo has been making wines with his family’s grapes for more than 10 years, but this is a separate project from his personal wines bottled under his name, although the emphasis on minimal intervention, organic farming, and biodynamic approaches in the vines is the same.