About This Product :
Appellation:
Marchigüe Area, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Varietals:
98% Syrah, 2% Viognier (co-fermented with the Syrah)
The Wine:
Deep violet color. On the nose there are some aromas of herb, like rosemary, together with black fruit. This is an intense wine with big body and a very long finish, with flavors that show great complexity and balanced between the fruit, acidity, and tannic structure.
In the POLKURA vineyard, the most interesting sites are definitely those oriented towards the south, only indirectly facing the sun. This is why these sites have less hours of sunshine and therefore a lower heat accumulation, resulting in much more elegant wines. During the 2006 vintage big differences in fruit flavour were noticed within these blocks. After one year of trials, the decision was made to bottle the wines produced from Blocks G and I separately.
The Viticulture 2019:
In terms of temperature, the 2019 season would be considered average, meaning there were no extremes. Rains were limited, as always, given the extensive drought, so were also in the range of “normal”. We’re seeing a harvest that best represents Chilean wine. And while block g+i are among the last to be harvested, in general this year we harvested earlier, looking for fresher, more balanced wines.
Soil type : Clay and silt mixed with decomposed granite
Trellising system : Vertical shoot positioning
Pruning : Cordon
Irrigation : Drip
The Vinification:
Cold soaking (8-11°C) : 3-4 days
Alcoholic fermentation : 8-10 days
Pump-overs : Days 1–3: 3 per day, Days 3–6: 2 per day, Day 6–end: No pump-overs
Total skin contact : 45 days
Malolactic fermentation : 100% in barrels, spontaneous
Ageing:
Vessel type : 100% oak barrels
Coopers (new barrels) : Sylvain
Coopers (use barrels) : Sylvain, Taransaud, Nadalie
Grain and toasting : Fine and Extra fine, M+ toasting
Time in barrels : 24 months
Type of barrels : French oak 225L
Age of barrels : 25% new, 75% second use
Rackings : 1
No filtering, no fining
Alcohol : 15%
Residual Sugar : 2.3 g/L
Total acidity : 5.16 g/L
pH : 3.66
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.
