Chile — wine

Itata Valley

Chile's ancient wine heartland south of the Bio Bio river, where Spanish missionaries planted País and Muscat of Alexandria on granite soils 400 years ago. These old-vine, dry-farmed vineyards — many pre-dating Phylloxera — produce wines of haunting transparency and mineral purity now championed by Chile's natural wine movement. País, once scorned as peasant wine, has become one of the world's most exciting rediscoveries.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Outstanding Itata vintage; old-vine País from granite soils showed extraordinary transparent fruit purity.
2021 Classic southern Chilean vintage; the cool rainfall pattern favored Muscat and País equally.
2020 Benchmark year; the natural wine community discovered Itata Valley's old-vine treasures in force.
2019 Landmark vintage; De Martino and Clos des Fous raised international awareness of old-vine País.
2018 Solid vintage; the 400-year-old vines' resilience produced wines of uncommon mineral depth.