About This Product :
Appellation:
Marchigüe Area, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Varietals:
100% Syrah
The Wine:
Red-violet in color with a medium-high intensity. On the nose, spice dominates, with a pronounced minerality that is repeated on the palate. It’s a very fine, elegant wine, tremendously complex with lots of flavors. None stands out more than the others, making it a very balanced wine. With a medium intensity on the palate, it has a very long finish.
There are two reasons to produce a wine without irrigation. One reason is technical, as it allows the absolute expression of the place, or “terroir” of the vineyard. By not irrigating, the intervention is minimal. Each year production is completed using only the water provided by nature. The other reason is that each year water as a natural resource is more and more scarce, which necessitates learning to survive without irrigation.
The Viticulture 2020:
The 2019 winter was particularly dry, while the following summer was rather warm. This translated into low yields, which has an automatic positive effect on
the quality. At the same time, the tannins produced are rather potent and required meticulous attention in the cellar to achieve the balance that always characterizes Polkura wines. We did shorter macerations and quick pump-overs. In the barrels, the work with the lees is what added the hint of sweetness and smooth texture we look for. The winter rains are the only source of water for this dry-farmed vineyards, and yes, we were a little worried. We didn’t know if it would be enough. We learned quickly that the deep roots the vines had developed during their 10+ years were able to gather enough water to produce the grapes for this wine. And while the quantity is low, we’re happy with the quality. And just like in the 2015 vintage, this version is 100% Syrah.
Soil type : Clay mixed with decomposed granite
Trellising system : Goblet
Pruning : Bush
Irrigation : None. Zero. Zip.
The Vinification:
Cold soaking (8-11°C) : 4-5 days
Alcoholic fermentation : 12 days in concrete egg
Pump-overs : 2 per day (if needed)
Total skin contact : 40 days
Malolactic fermentation : 100% third-use barrels
Ageing:
Vessel type : 100% oak barrels
Coopers : Nadalie, Sylvain, Saury
Grain and toasting : Fine, M+ toasting
Time in barrels : 24 months
Type of barrels : French oak
Age of barrels : 3rd use
Rackings : 1
No filtering, no fining
Alcohol :14.5%
Residual Sugar : 2.36 g/L
Total acidity : 6.6 g/L
pH : 3.55
The Winery:
Polkura is the name of a small hill, located inside the vineyard. On its slopes they grow grapes which give rise to this wine. Polkura means “Yellow Stone” in the original language Mapuche, referring to the large amount of yellow granite clay soils distributed by sector. The decomposed granite (maicillo) gives the wine minerality and elegance, while clays provide body and structure. The moderate climate adds fruitiness and spicy notes, resulting in a fine, complex and harmonious wine in perfect balance.
The Winemaker:
The journey starts in 1998, when winemaker Sven Bruchfeld along with his friend and university buddy Gonzalo Muñoz, were dreaming of future projects to do together. Gonzalo was studying in Spain and Sven was working during vintage in different wine regions around the world. They met at that time near Narbonne, in the south of France. A tasting of a Mediterranean style Syrah in one of the local wineries matched with a tasty lamb and mint sauce, defined this grape variety as the one to be the base for their future wine.
Once both were back in Chile, they set out to find the best place to develop a vineyard in order to maximize the grape quality and therefore the wine they had in mind.
This is how in 2002 they found the place they aimed. A neglected property in the Marchigüe area -the Western end of the Colchagua Valley- met the soil and climate requirements needed to fulfill their dream.
12 ha on the Polkura hill were planted being 2004, the first vintage.
