Garage Wine Co. Semillon
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The vines for this Semillon are 65+ yrs old and are grown on the Isidore Vineyard in Maule Valley.
- The soils consist of decomposed granite and these are old-bush head vines that are harvested manually.
- Farmed by hand and horse with traditional methods of dry-farming.
Varietal Composition: 100% Semillon
Elaboration: The grapes are fermented naturally in amphora/tinaja with skins. Some whole bunches added. The seeds were removed when they floated to the surface and skins remained in the juice for eleven months. It is aged in amphora and old barrels for one year. This wine is made with skins, but very tightly wrapped without much oxygen. It has some serious phenolics. This is a white to age or an amber wine as they say in Georgia (the original Georgia with the Kvevris).
Tasting Notes: Amber in color this wine smells of lemon, candle wax and bee pollen with a hint of flor/orange. In the mouth, lemon juice, candied lemon peel and a touch of bee pollen mixed with white flowers and honey (but without sweetness). High acid with faint chalky texture make this a mouthwatering package.
PRESS
2020 – 93 Wine Advocate, 93 Vinous
2019 – 94 Wine Advocate, 94 Vinous
2018 – 94 Wine Advocate, 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.