About This Product :
Appellation:
Marchigüe Area, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Varietals:
60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 18% Tempranillo, and 2% Mourvedre
The Wine:
GSM stands for the initials of the varieties Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, which is a commonly used blend in many parts of the world. T stands for Tempranillo, which is NOT something that is found very often blended with the other three. The three varieties were planted on a small parcel for experimental purposes along with our main variety Syrah. Grenache is fruit, Syrah is texture, Mourvedre is the backbone and Tempranillo brings it all together.
Ruby-red and violet in color, with medium intensity. The nose shows notes of red fruit and cedar, while the mouth has medium body but a very long finish. There’s really great balance between the stinging acidity and the ripeness of the tannins.
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. In this vintage, Grenache dominates, which is good news as this variety lends a unique fruity profile. We also used just 2% Mourvedre in the blend, due to an error. This principal component was harvested too early, resulting in a wine that couldn’t be used in the blend. Errors are also part of the process.
Soil type : Decomposed granite and clay
Trellising system : Vertical shoot positioning
Pruning : Cordon
Irrigation : Drip
The Vinification:
Cold soaking (8-11°C) : 2 days
Alcoholic fermentation : 7-10 days
Pump-overs : Days 1–3: 2 to 3 per day with lots of movement, Punch-downs in the fermentations in bins, Days 3 to end of fermentation: 2 per day. No pump-overs during post-fermentation maceration
Total skin contact : 30 days on average
Malolactic fermentation : 100% in barrels, spontaneous
Ageing:
Vessel type : French oak barrels
Time in barrels : 12 months
Age of barrels : 3rd use or older
Rackings : 1
No filtering, no fining
Alcohol : 14.5%
Residual Sugar : 2.56 g/L
Total acidity : 6.29 g/L
pH : 3.58
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.
