Wines from Cousino Macul Winery

Wines from Cousino Macul Winery; Alto Maipo, Chile.

Mr Carlos Cousino of Cousino Macul Winery was in town on 15 Oct to introduce several wines from his stable. The foIks at Alfa International (some would be more familiar with the company’s wine ecommerce site: ewineasia.com) was good enough to extend me an invite.

Carlos Cousino of Cousino Macul winery
 

A little history

It’s a winery with some history and time under its belt. It was founded in 1856 by Mr Matias Cousino and to date is the only Chilean winery from that century that is still in the hands of the original founding family (and still 100% under family control). The founder’s passion for producing wine was inherited by his son, Mr Luis Cousino, who took over the estate. Generation after generation contributed their fair share to continue with this legacy of wine making. Presently, with slightly more than 155 years of history, this winery is in the hands of 3 brothers (Carlos, Emilio and Arturo Cousino), who make up the 6th generation.

One major challenge to this winery came in 1989 when a drop in temperature caused a considerable loss in harvest. The brothers decided at this period to make a shift from large scale production to producing grapes of low yield, high quality and making wines which will hold their own in international markets. The goal was to produce “world class wines, unmistakably Chilean, carrying the distinctive character of the Maipo Valley.”

This new aim resulted in a major shift in its viticultural practice, followed by a major investment and overhaul within its winery and cellar facilities.

Carlos Cousino with staff from Alfa International
 

Wine making philosophy

Carlos explains that the brothers’ primary intention is to make wines that can be enjoyed at a gathering or over a meal with friends and family. It’s not about crafting wines for the sake of winning awards or getting a high rating from wine critics.

“Approachable when young, but with the potential to age” explains Carlos. Towards this end the brothers strive to produce wines which display a degree of elegance, balance and roundness in body so they are approachable for consumption when young; while at the same time possessing the required elements within the wine to facilitate aging if so preferred. Through their viticultural and vinification practices they hope to show to consumers the influence of Maipo Valley’s terroir upon the grapes and the resulting wine.

Vineyard

Presently the winery owns 2 estates. Both are located within the Maipo Valley. The first one (Macul estate) is located south east of Santiago; while the second one (the Buin Estate) acquired in 1996, is located south of Maipo Valley, near the town of Buin.

Both vineyards are located in the upper region of Maipo Valley (therefore the name Alto Maipo). It is ruled by a Mediterranean climate with subtropical thermal conditions. The temperature here averages at 30C during summer (with a temperature variation of 20C between day and night). This variation enables the grapes to attain biological and phenolic ripeness while still retaining a good degree of acidity within the grape juice.

Vinification

Carlos highlights 3 initiatives he has implemented during the vinification process in order to produce good quality wines; they are: keeping grapes under a cold temperature prior to fermentation, aggressive fermentation and long maceration. These steps he believes help the wine to hold its fruit characters while still retaining freshness and vibrancy. Aging after fermentation is carried out in stainless steel tanks or French oak barrels as required by these wines. Current annual production is around 300,000 cases.

Wines tasted during this session

The group at hand had the opportunity to taste 6 wines from this winery.

Whites

2013 Antigua Reserva (Chardonnay). Around 15% of this wine is barrel fermented while the remainder is fermented in stainless steel barrels. This brings forth a wine with a little more structure, body and character while still retaining freshness.

2013 Finis Terrae (Chardonnay, Riesling & Viognier). Only 500 cases produced annually. Light bodied wine with pleasant aromatics.

Both whites show as refreshing sips with good offerings of fruit flavours in palate. The noticeable acidity present in the body adds liveliness to these whites. The 2013 Antigua Reserve single varietal Chardonnay came off as a wine with good structure and restrained elegance; while the 2013 Finis Terrae displayed more aromatic charm with a ‘easy drinking’ appeal.

Reds

The reds generally display a good amount of fruit flavours in the palate; acidity is evident and it keeps these wines lively. The good thing about the tannins is that they are present without being big, bold or harsh. It keeps these wines approachable to drink even when young but with sufficient amount present to offer aging potential.

2012 Antigua Reserva (Merlot) Dark fruits, spice and ripe berry flavours. Medium plus body showing acidity. Tannins display a little grip in the gum.

2012 Antigua Reserva (Cab Sau) Hint of spice, oak, leather; medium plus body, smooth texture.

2010 Finis Terrae (Cab Sau, Merlot & Syrah) Dark fruits, mocca and tobacco notes; smooth and supple body which holds acidity and tannins without overpowering the fruits in the palate. Tannins display a feel of austereness in mouth. Shows potential to age further.

2008 Lota (Cab Sau, Merlot) A flagship of this winery; grapes come from vines 80 years or older. Hand harvested, berry selected, basket pressed and aged in new French oak after fermentaton; lots of care goes into making this wine. A wine with good aging potential; certainly lovely on the nose at this moment. Tannins offer a grip in the mouth hinting at the possibility to age further and there’s ample fruits in the body to see it through.

2008 Lota
 

Markets

Apart from a good presence in Chile itself, Cousino Mascul winery’s 2 other major markets are Brazil and USA. In 2013 local consumption was 40% of its sales volume, while 60% was exported abroad. In Asia these wines are present in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China and now in Singapore as well.

Alfa International Pte Ltd distributes these wines locally. If you are keen to purchase these wines, you can visit the online site: http://ewineasia.com

For more information on these wines you can contact 62223977.


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Don Melchor - The Secret Tour Asia

It was an interesting invite. A tasting of the 2010 Don Melchor; a new vintage release from the stable of Concha y Toro, one that has not been made available to consumers yet. And more tempting was the offer by the winemaker, Enrique Tirado, to present to the gathered wine enthusiasts a component tasting of wines from each of the seven plots within the Puente Alto vineyard; wines which contribute towards the final blend and makeup of a Don Melchor wine.

Winemaker Enrique Tirado (Don Melchor’s wine maker since 1997) was in town on 13 Oct to personally conduct this session together with Ms Annette Scarfe MW, who was at hand to share with us her opinion on the wines before us.

This wine session was organized by VCT Group of Wineries Asia Pte Ltd (a Singapore subsidiary of the Vina Concha y Toro Group).

Carolyn Etherington & Enrique Tirado
 

The Don Melchor wine and the winemaking philosophy

If you are a new wine enthusiast beginning to explore Chilean wines, one wine company you’ll soon come across is Guilisasti family’s Concha y Toro; and exploring the wines within its portfolio will lead you to the Don Melchor wine, a wine held in high esteem among its offerings.

Enrique Tirado explains that with Don Melchor it is not the company’s aim to produce a well crafted wine. Rather, the goal is to produce a Cabernet wine which best expresses the terroir of Puento Alto, a location believed by the Concha y Toro folks as well suited for this varietal.

The first vintage of this wine was in 1987. From then till the 1998 vintage, the Don Melchor wine was produced as a single varietal Cab Sau wine. The 1999 vintage was a blend made with Cab Sau and Cab Franc, while the year 2000 vintage reverted back to being a single varietal Cab Sau wine. From 2001 till the latest vintage (2010), the Don Melchor wines carry a small percentage of Cab Franc in them.

Vineyard location and Climate

The grapes for this wine come from the Puente Alto vineyard, a 113 hectares land area situated 650m above sea level in the Alto Maipo Valley (the coolest part of this valley). It is influenced by semi-arid Mediterranean climate. The warm days are contrasted by lower temperatures at night as a result of cold air descending from the Andes. This provides a long, slow ripening period which helps the grapes intensify aromas, concentrate fruit characters and still retain a good degree of acidity.

Viticulture & Vinification

The years spent in cultivating grapes from this vineyard has revealed to the winemaking team that not all harvested grapes share the same character profile. Slight difference in soil composition in different parts of the vineyard tend to influence differently the character profile of the harvest. Appreciating this, the team has gone on to divide the vineyard into smaller plots; each plot lending to homogeneous growth. Low yield is observed and hand harvest is practised.

The Don Melchor wine is presently made with grapes coming from 7 of these smaller plots (6 subplots yield Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 pot produce Cabernet Franc). Each plot is harvested separately depending on the maturity of the grapes and vinified separately as well. Upon final blending, the wine is aged between 12-15 months in barrels made of french oak, followed by bottle aging for a year before release.

Tasting wines from the different subplots

I confess to being curious if wines from these different subplots in fact reveal a marked difference in their character profile. I mean, apart from the Cab Franc component (Lot 7), the rest of the grapes from the other 6 subplots come from the same varietal (Cab Sau), the vines grow side by side in the same altitude and under the same weather condition. The viticultural and vinification practices come from the same team as well. How much different can they be ? ... an inner voice asks :)

To my surprise, the 6 Cab Sau wines from each of the subplots displayed sufficient difference to justify the winemaker’s efforts:

Lot 1: Fruit driven leaning towards red fruits, soft, ripe tannins; soft body and easy on the palate; a vibrant wine that offers a pleasant finish.
Lot 2: Black fruits flavours, tannins more prominent in body as well as a firmer body structure. Acidity can be felt within the body.
Lot 3: Displays more black fruits than red fruits character, firm tannins in body, shows acidity.
Lot 4: Good core of fruits showing in palate; displays some depth with ripe tannins; a rounded, smooth body texture, a good mouthfeel.
Lot 5:  Red fruits and spice notes, ripe tannins, approachable sip with a sturdy structure.
Lot 6: Full body with dense black fruits, displays a degree of depth, acidity in palate adds to its vibrancy.
Lot 7: (the Cab franc): Herbaceous note, ripe tannins and softer body when compared to the earlier wines.

I must agree that these wines certainly did not come with a uniform personality. These little differences go towards contributing a different flavour, layer and dimension to the final blend. Enrique Tirado attributes this practice to the continued success of Don Melchor wines over the years in displaying a wine with good balance, rich flavours, complexity and great aging potential.

The various awards and high points awarded to this wine over the years by Wine Spectator and Robert Parker go to highlight the consistency in quality and the international recognition it has garnered.

Don Melchor 2009 and 2010

We had the opportunity to taste both the 2009 and 2010 vintages. Both revealed a good concentration of fruits and balance within their body.

The 2009 vintage (96% Cab Sau; 4% Cab Franc) displayed a smooth texture with an elegant body made up of red and black fruit characters.

The 2010 vintage (97% Cab Sau; 3% Cab Franc) on the other hand showed a grainy texture with dense fruits and a long finish; its slightly rougher on the edge now, but I suspect this wine will evolve well with age.

Local purchase within Singapore

For more information on this wine, you can contact:

A. VCT Group of Wineries Asia at Tel: 6507 9470
NIkki Salimbagat nikki.salimbagat@vctwinegroup.com.sg
Carolyn Etherington carolyn.etherington@vctwinegroup.com.sg

B. AMS Aurum Mestika Sejati Tel: 6749 6088

The Don Melchor 2010 is currently available EN-PRIMEUR only with a minimum order of 1 case (6 bottles) at an introductory price of S$594 (U.P.$930) till Christmas 2014. Deliveries to be scheduled around March 2015.


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