{"product_id":"2017-clos-des-fous-cauquenina-itata-valley-liberty","title":"2017 Clos des Fous, `Cauquenina` Itata Valley - Liberty","description":"\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eA midnight tasting in Chile in 2011 was our first encounter with the ‘Fous’ (‘crazy men’) when Alberto Antonini introduced us to Pedro Parra, with whom he works closely at several of South America’s top estates. Pedro now makes wines under his own label but was originally one of the four ‘Fous’, alongside winemakers François Massoc and Paco Leyton, as well as Albert Cussen who looks after the business. The name ‘Clos des Fous’ is an ode to the 12 years Pedro and François spent studying and working in Burgundy, as well as to what their peers describe as their ‘craziness’ in crossing the traditional Chilean vineyard boundaries to source grapes from more extreme conditions further south and east.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Chardonnay ‘Locura 1’ is sourced from the region of Malleco, one of the southernmost wine-growing sub-regions in Chile. Although once considered too southerly for winemaking, the cold conditions and sandy and rocky soils have increasingly attracted top producers looking to make expressive, cool-climate wines with steely acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a single vineyard called ‘Grillos Cantores’ (or ‘singing crickets’) in the Alto Cachapoal, just six kilometres from the Andes mountains. The decaying granite and volcanic rocks present in the soil here provide the resulting wine with a distinct mineral character, soft tannins and good levels of balancing acidity. Perhaps their most original wines are the red blends: ‘Cauquenina’ and ‘Pour Ma Gueule’ (meaning ‘for my gob’). These blends change from vintage to vintage and include varying amounts of Carignan, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cinsault, Carmenère and País to achieve a complex, fluid, modern red blend. ‘Cauquenina’ has some degree of oak influence with 20% of the blend going into new oak, whereas ‘Pour Ma Gueule’ has no new oak influence and is meant for drinking young.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eClos des Fous has 19 hectares of vineyards in total, which is supplemented by fruit from selected growers. Pedro Parra's key aim was to move plantings away from the fertile plains and up the slopes into the Andean and Coastal ranges, where the rockier soils result in lower vine vigour and deeper roots, which he believes gives better balance and more finesse to the wines. The Cabernet grapes are grown in a single vineyard called Cabeza de Loco (Crazy Head) in the Alto Cachapoal, just six kilometres from the Andes mountains. The decaying granite and volcanic rocks which are present in the soil here provide the resulting wines with a distinct mineral character, soft tannins and good levels of balancing acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiPaper-root MuiAccordion-root accordion_accordion__I9cut Mui-expanded MuiAccordion-rounded MuiPaper-elevation1 MuiPaper-rounded\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-root MuiCollapse-entered\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapper\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiCollapse-wrapperInner\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"region\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiAccordionDetails-root\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe 2017 vintage was very good in terms of quality and quantity. Favourable conditions during spring brought on a good flowering and fruitset. The summer was very hot and temperatures reached historical records in the valley. This resulted in harvest being two weeks earlier than normal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCauquenina is a blend of several varietals. Each lot was vinified and aged separately. Fermentation took place in cement vats. A portion (about 15 to 20%) of the wine was put into new French oak barrels and the other part in one year old barrels. The fermentations were slow and careful so as not to over-extract.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThis wine is dark ruby red in colour with violet tones. On the nose, it has black and red fruit aromas, predominately cherry and raspberry. The complex nose also has floral notes of chamomile and tea leaves. A touch of minerality comes through on the palate with notes of graphite and earth. The wine is generous and silky with very fine tannins and excellent acidity which enhance the Cauquenina's liveliness and balance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56593229414778,"sku":null,"price":19.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/d276c5e1-1e8f-437d-aae0-94d783ea8615__250x500_1837ee48-b4ac-4e55-9030-dfe3bc00de95.jpg?v=1771248807","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2017-clos-des-fous-cauquenina-itata-valley-liberty","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}