The 2020 Cru Truquilemu is a Cariñena field blend with Syrah that comes from a low-yielding section of the old Truquilemu Vineyard that they have been vinifying for years and cultivated with a combination of original methods for cultivating the old vines—i.e., farmed by hand and horse, accompanied by the analysis and scientific ideas of Professor Alvaro Peña, who is a Garage partner and their in-house PhD in viticulture. It fermented in open-top 1,500- and 2,500-kilo lagar fermenters, using punch-downs and more stems than in the regular Truquilemu. They use first-class barrels that are third-use or older and age the wines slowly over two winters. It has 12.8% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity. This is always one of the highlights of the portfolio, and in 2020, it’s no exception; it’s elegant, clean and floral and with no traces of excess, subtle, more closed than other 2020s, serious and simply terrific, transcending the vintage. 5,233 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The 2020 Vigno is selected from specific plots of their vineyard in Truquilemu that are traditionally farmed; everything is done by hand and with animals. It is spectacular and transcends the nature of the vintage, coming through as fresh, aromatic and floral. It fermented with some 20% stems and indigenous yeasts and matured in well-seasoned, neutral barrels for two winters. It has 13.1% alcohol and a pH of 3.25, ethereal, with lots of inner energy, medium-bodied and with very fine tannins and terrific balance. 3,366 bottles produced.

The 2020 Truquilemu Vineyard follows the path of the 2018 and 2019 with even lower alcohol (12.9%) and great freshness and acidity, a pH of 3.36 and 6.4 grams of acidity. The modus operandi was the usual: fermented in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and manual punch-down with a slow malolactic, which took 10 months to finish, and matured in used barrels over two winters. It contains some 4% Syrah. This has the ethereal quality of this vineyard, powerful but weightless. This place makes fresh wines even in warm vintages like 2020, and you feel that especially in the palate where the wine is vibrant and lively. 5,882 bottles were filled in February 2022.

The 2020 Renacido Vineyard, marked with Lt #114, was produced with Cabernet Sauvignon from Cauquenes (Maule), searching for finesse, tension and fine tannins. It was produced with grapes from ancient País vines regrafted to Cabernet Sauvignon 10 years ago with some 12% Malbec in the field blend that has been, in the words of Derek Mossman, “uncertified organic for 75+ years.” It fermented in open lagars with indigenous yeasts and a small portion of whole clusters that were foot-trodden, then it matured in neutral barrels over two winters. It has 13.4% alcohol and an incredible pH of 3.3 with 6.23 grams of acidity. There’s finesse and perfume here, with the core of 2020 ripeness, but all very subtle. 6,940 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The 2020 Sauzal Vineyard marked as Lot #115 from Empedrado in Maule, is a blend of 55% Garnacha, 39% Cariñena and 6% Monastrell from a vineyard originally 100% Cariñena that they regrafted with the other varieties and that they work together with grower Don Nivaldo Morales. They added around 20% of the stems in the fermentation vessel. It has moderate alcohol, 13.6%, and more freshness and acidity, which they think is because there’s more Garnacha in the blend. This is one of the 2020s that seems to have escaped the vintage signature and comes through as very fresh, clean, aromatic, floral and less rustic than the majority of the other 2020s. 3,985 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The harmonious, fresh, clean, aromatic and floral 2020 The Ploughmen Carignan Field Blend from Empedrado in Maule was produced with a blend of 55% Garnacha, 39% Cariñena and 6% Monastrell from a vineyard originally 100% Cariñena that they regrafted with the other varieties. Like many of their wines, they added around 20% of the stems in the fermentation vessel. It has moderate alcohol, 13.6%, and more freshness and acidity, which they think is because there’s more Garnacha in the blend. This has also escaped the vintage signature and feels more elegant and less rustic than the majority of 2020s.

The just-bottled 2022 Isidore Vineyard Maule Valley Semillon has even lower alcohol than the 2021, 12.3%, and a little less acidity and freshness, but it matured in the same way: in a mixture of tinaja, FlexTank, stainless steel and used barriques for 12 months. It’s paler and more floral than the 2021 I tasted next to it, younger and less developed, a little rounder and softer, a little gentler, but this can change a lot in the bottle. I think it will eventually be as good as the 2021 feels now… 6,201 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2023.

The 2022 Old Vine Pale is no longer produced only with Cariñena and Monastrell from Truquilemu Vineyard. They saw a local grower in Linda Vista, also in Maule, with similar grapes and decided to use them here, which brought off-the-chart acidity, 9.3 grams, that makes the wine electric and vibrant. They did mostly direct pressing this year (only 10% The white 2021 Isidore Vineyard Maule Valley Semillón was produced with grapes from a vineyard planted in the 1940s on decomposed granite soils. It fermented in tinaja with skins (one-third each with full skins) and some whole bunches added, and it matured in tinaja, FlexTank, stainless steel and used barriques for 12 months. It has 12.6% alcohol and a very low pH with very good acidity. It has a golden color and a complex nose of pollen and chicken broth, and there’s an oxidative whiff (in a positive way) that made me think of peroxide. The palate is vibrant, and there’s a chalky, austerity in the mouthfeel. 4,146 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.). It’s even lower in alcohol (12.3%) and pH (3.1) and is aromatic and nuanced, and the palate is effervescent with acidity and minerality. This is a rosé like the Clarete from Pícaro del Águila, a serious wine that repays cellaring, but unfortunately, most people will drink it young and will miss the point and the complexity. 7,108 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2023.

The white 2021 Isidore Vineyard Maule Valley Semillon was produced with grapes from a vineyard planted in the 1940s on decomposed granite soils. It fermented in tinaja with skins (one-third each with full skins) and some whole bunches added, and it matured in tinaja, FlexTank, stainless steel and used barriques for 12 months. It has 12.6% alcohol and a very low pH with very good acidity. It has a golden color and a complex nose of pollen and chicken broth, and there’s an oxidative whiff (in a positive way) that made me think of peroxide. The palate is vibrant, and there’s a chalky, austerity in the mouthfeel. 4,146 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The 2020 Bagual Vineyard Cariñena Garnacha Monastrell comes from plants that have been worked with regenerative farming with grower-partner the Solar family in transition now for three years, and it’s the first vineyard in Chile (three in Bagual) to receive Ecological Outcome Verification™ (EOV™) from the Savory Institute. It has 13.8% alcohol with a pH of 3.25 and 6.75 grams of acidity. Despite the moderate alcohol, I found the imprint of rusticity from 2020, the earthiness and the ripeness sensation, but as I often saw in many wines, the palate showed better, so it could be a transitional moment for the nose. The wine is medium-bodied with fine-grained, granite tannins and with purity of flavors and a long finish. 5,239 bottles were filled in February 2022.

The 2020 Las Higueras Vineyard comes from 120-year-old bush vines on alluvial soils in a vineyard that is no longer ploughed. The vines in Loncomilla are worked under regenerative viticulture, but there’s no organic certification. The wine is marked with Lot #122 and now bottled in a lighter Loire-shaped bottle, to reflect the new profile of the wine to something more elegant and graceful. It fermented with indigenous yeasts with 15% to 20% of the lignified stems added after the crush, with the cap punched down by hand and aged in third-use and more barrels for two winters. It has only 12.8% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity parameters. 2020 was warm and dry, and the harvest was early, before the big problems with COVID-19 started; but there’s a hint of ripeness here, coming through as faintly rustic, not as refined as the Cabernet Sauvignon from Maule… 9,671 bottles were filled in January 2022.

They worked for years with Javier Pereira, who provided them Cariñena, País and San Francisco/Negramole. When he died, they decided to name the 2020 Pereira Vineyard Syrah after him. It comes from old País plants regrafted to Syrah 10 years ago. It fermented with the addition of some 20% of the stems and indigenous yeasts in open-top vats and matured in used barrels for two winters. It has a moderate 13.5% alcohol and a low pH of 3.2 with a high 6.68 grams of acidity (measured in tartaric acid per liter of wine). I found this wine harmonious and balanced, and somehow the 2020 character is very subtle here; the wine is tasty and harmonious, with very good freshness and balance and mellow varietal character. The 2021 will be aged in Italian botti. 4,876 bottles were filled in February 2022.

The Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo in Isla de Maipo that was introduced in 2018 was also bottled as 2019 Reelegido Vineyard and marked with Lot #110. It was produced with fruit from 65+-year-old vines on alluvial soils with round stones (40-50 centimeters in size). The vineyard produces 1.5 kilos per plant of small bunches. They feel they were more accurate with the harvest date this time to achieve a fresher and more elegant wine with 14.1% alcohol and a pH of 3.47 and 6.14 grams of acidity. As with the majority of wines, it fermented in open vats with native yeasts with the cap punched down by hand and matured over two winters in well-seasoned, neutral French oak barrels. It feels harmonious, balanced, powerful and elegant with fine-grained tannins, varietal and precise. 5,728 bottles were filled in February 2021.

The 2021 Cinsault The Soothsayers Ferment was produced with grapes from two farms and three plots in Guarilihue Alto in Itata, within the appellation Secano Interior Coelemu, worked by horse in the old style and fermented together. “All of the fruit does not enter the tank at same time. When the second day’s picking is ready, we simply stack a part or all on top of the tank already fermenting—one single ferment” was the explanation for the name of the wine, which finished with 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.48, quite low for the grape. The wine matured in what they described as very old barrels over one winter. It’s serious, with a slightly shy nose, not as open and expressive as others, more elegant, very clean and fresh. It’s medium-bodied and with fine-grained tannins and a granite texture. 5,416 bottles were filled in February 2022.

The rosé 2021 Old Vine Pale was produced with Cariñena and Monastrell from Truquilemu Vineyard, half a hectare from DO Empedrado, an appellation in Maule. It has 12.9% alcohol and very good freshness. This is a serious rosé that goes beyond the category; I drank a bottle of 2013 the day before I tasted this, and the wine was fantastic, a lot more nuanced and with depth, serious, which is how this wine should turn out with time in bottle. You can sense this in the palate of the 2021, but without having the reference of the 2013, it would be difficult to imagine the evolution… 7,199 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2022 after spending one winter in used barrels.

Negramole was brought to Chile inadvertently mixed with País hundreds of years ago. It is called San Francisco locally, and it’s the grape used for the 2021 Passageiro Escondido, which was produced like all the reds: native fermentation in open-top vats and aging in used barrels. It has 12.8% alcohol, moderate pH, 3.53, and good acidity. Mossman’s explanation was great: “If Cinsault is a sort of classic Little Black Dress, then Negramole is an elegant pair of capri linen trousers made to be worn with sandals.” I loved the wine, which is quite pale, aromatic, refined and different, with a strong personality. It feels mineral, like a wet pumice stone, and has complexity and depth. The palate feels elegant, balanced and fine-boned, tasty and refined. A great debut. Only 971 bottles were filled in September 2022.

The 2021 País 215 BC Ferment, a village red from plots they know well, four of them fermented together. The explanation of the name is as follows: “A winery was making País in Portezuelo in 1548 (documented); Cabernet Sauvignon (a crossing of Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon Blanc) is documented from 1763 (near Bordeaux). The difference: 1763 – 1548 = 215 thus: 215 year BC ‘Before Cabernet.'” Like the rest of the wines, it fermented wit indigenous yeast in open-top vats with some stems and matured in neutral barrels over one winter. It’s perfumed, floral, clean and expressive, very elegant and balanced, with refined tannins. Brilliant. 6,517 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The blanc de noirs Single Ferment Series 2021 País-Cariñena Phoenix Ferment was produced with grapes from the Secano Interior zone of Cauquenes in Maule, from different farms on decomposed granite soils in Truquilemu, Puico, Sauzal and Purapel, and due to the DO laws, it has to be 86% País and 14% Cariñena worked organically but not certified. The whole clusters were pressed, and the juice fermented with indigenous yeasts in closed-top fermenters and kept with lees for 10 to 12 weeks. It has 12.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.16 and 6.54 grams of acidity, floral, clean and expressive. It is a fun wine that seems grown up, tasty and more serious. They took it more seriously, and it feels nuanced, harmonious and more complex. 6,542 bottles were filled in February 2022.

The 2020 Bagual Vineyard Garnacha marked with Lot #119 comes from the vineyard in the village of Calivoro (old spelling) planted with Garnacha from Cataluña (a rarity) that achieved organic certification after working in regenerative viticulture for three years. The wine is unusually ripe, reaching 14% alcohol, but it keeps a low pH of 3.33 and 6.7 grams of acidity. One of 11 single-vineyard bottlings, this also matured in used barrels over two winters. This is definitely Mediterranean and Priorat like, with notes of aromatic herbs, dark plums and an earthy touch. The palate reveals tasty flavors of ripe fruit and dusty tannins. 4,638 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2022.

The 2022 País-Cariñena Phoenix Ferment was marginally riper than the 2021, with 12.9% alcohol, a pH of 3.14 and 6.38 grams of acidity. It’s still aromatic and harmonious, a food wine, fresh and balanced. It feels a little younger and more primary than the 2021 that today shows more complexity. Maybe it’s just a difference in age. This is young and tender and should develop nicely in bottle. 6,471 bottles were filled in February 2023.

They recovered some País vineyards that produced the 2021 Old-Vine Revival País from four small plots in different farms in Cauquenes. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-top lagars with some lignified stems that were reintroduced after crush to avoid carbonic maceration, and it aged in neutral very old barrels over one winter. It has 13.1% alcohol and a pH of 3.45. It’s characterful and feels quite serious, juicy, balanced, varietal and on the elegant side with good grip and fine tannins, more fruit, less herbal. Serious País. 10,06 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2022.

The Cabernet Franc 2019 Pirque Vineyard, marked with Lot #110, comes from a one-hectare vineyard planted in the 1980s in El Principal Pirque on alluvial soils at 600 meters in altitude. They transport the grapes to Maule to ferment it in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and manual punching down, and they aged the wine, trying to control the power. It has 14% alcohol and good freshness, noted by a pH of 3.5. It comes through as quite ripe with some rustic earthiness and a more elegant palate. 4,740 bottles were filled from 16 barrels in February 2021.

The serious 2022 Almaule was done with a lighter hand on purpose for this bottling, but the wine is still a little darker and has more volume and body than the rest of the Almaule wines from other producers.