Garage Wine Co. Phoenix White
WHY WE LOVE IT
- 86% Pais from two farms Truquilemu and Sauzal, and 14% Cariñena from Purapel.
- Phoenix is sourced from various families who form a part of our working team. It has become a kind of convoy picking day with small quantities picked in various sites.
- Vintages will evolve for 2-3 years, but the wine is made to be drunk today upon release.
Varietal Composition: 86% Pais, 14% Cariñena
Elaboration: The grapes come from three vineyard sites in Truquilemu (1 hectare) and Sauzal (1.5 hectares) and Purapel (1 hectare). The vine age is 150 + years old bush-head vines in granitic soils/sub-soils have cracked granite that allow roots to drink deep down. These are on the Coastal Range of mountains (not the Andes) much older and more importantly much slower to cool than the
Andes ie crystals granite quartz.
The grapes are whole bunches pressed lightly in a pnematic press. They are naturally fermented with native yeasts. This is the only closed-top fermenter wine Garage Wine Co. makes. Once dry the wine stays on its lees for 8 weeks and then the lees are stirred with a paddle once a week. The wine is aged in stainless steel.
Tasting Notes: This wine will likely surprise you as it did us when we first made it. It’s surprisingly floral and aromatic, fresh and clean, with a vibrant palate, focused and delicious.
PRESS
2021 – 92 Vinous
2020 – 90 Vinous
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Derek Mossman, his wife Pilar Miranda, and Dr. Alvaro Peña are producing 1,500 cases total per year of old-vine Carignan, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with fruit sourced from small growers in Maule and Maipo.
Winemaking here veers towards the “natural” spectrum – all wines are fermented with native yeast, see no additions of any kind, very little new wood, and are low in sulfites. Punch downs are by hand, and pressing is done in a small traditional basket. You may notice slight variation in bottle thickness and shape if you were to open up cases, as Derek Mossman takes recycling to the next level and actually reuses old bottles, bottling in salvaged, used wine bottles in partnership with a recycling company located near the winery. Derek is also the founder of M.O.V.I. (Movimiento de Viñateros Independientes), Chile’s exciting, fast-growing association of independent vintners.