The Presentation

So many exciting things about these wines. The tasting showcases two wines from the same winery - made from old, old vines - same Pais grape, made the same way - except for aging vessel. The Tinaja is aged in clay amphora for several months. The Matorral spends 11-12 months in neutral oak cask. Two different expressions of the Pais grape. We are selling the tasting kit as 2 wines and a Repour for $45 - the idea is for anyone to feel comfortable opening two bottles of wine and comparing them side by side at the same time. One bottle can be finished in a day or two while the other, closed with the Repour, will last for several weeks - until you are ready for it. We don't want anyone to feel pressured to finish two bottles of wine in the same night - the Repour will remedy that. The experience of tasting the wines side by side is the reason we bought them and packaged them together.

The Pais grape was brought to Chile in the 1500s by the Spanish. It has become used as a big bulk wine grape but the Vina Gonzales Bastias winery is rebuking the common trend and has been making exceptional Pais wines for generations. The vines are organically farmed, the juice fermented with native yeasts and the wine is unfined and unfiltered.

Here is information from the importer:
Daniela Lorenza and Jose Luis Gonzalez Bastias are the couple behind of one of Chile’s oldest, continuously family owned heritage Pais vines. They naturally farm 4 hectares of seventh generation Pais that was planted over 200 years ago. Their land is on the southern shore of the Maule River close to the coast of Consticucion, in the Western Maule Valley. Their soil is river stones on top of a granite bedrock. The winery and cellar are on property, and many Chilean vignerons have spent time lending a hand here. Gonzales Bastias produces rare examples of age-worthy, estate-grown, natural, handmade Pais-centric wines. They have historical and cultural relevance to Chile and are a
reference point for Chilean Wine.

***ZOOM link will be emailed to participants a few days before the 9/10 tasting.