Pino Román "Pipeño" Itata Valley, Chile 2024

FROM JOSE PASTOR:

THE WINE: Pipeño is 50% País, 25% Cinsault, and 25% Moscatel de Alejandría from the “Los Pellines” vineyard which is more than 80 years old, dry-farmed and own-rooted in Itata’s coastal Nuble range. The vines are planted at 161m above sea level on granitic soils. The grapes are harvested by hand and destemmed, then each of the varieties are placed in separate open vats for maceration and fermentation without temperature control. After fermentation, the wines are combined in stainless steel tanks for 10 months of aging before bottling in the traditional 1 liter bottles without fining, filtering and with only a small amount of added SO2.

THE PRODUCER: Ignacio Pino Román (Nacho, to those who know him) started making wine in 2018, after working harvests in Alentejo, Napa, and elsewhere. He returned to his home in Chile with the goal of highlighting the ancient viticultural traditions of the Itata valley. His project focuses on the area of Coelemu, about 20 kilometers from the Pacific ocean, where he works with four small growers. Nacho believes that wine is born in the vineyard, and his approach to working with his winegrowers is collaborative in spirit. The vineyards and winegrowers that he buys grapes from are all old, carefully farmed, and never treated with intensive chemical treatments. In the cellar, Nacho works with neutral wood, stainless steel, and clay vessels. No additives are used during fermentation, and the only sulfur additions are small and at bottling. His goal is to provide as clear a representation of the Itata valley and its ancient vines as possible.