Familia Sergio Perez - “Pipeno” Coronel del Maule, Maule Valley, Chile
Estate: Familia Sergio Perez carries the name of an 87 year old farmer in the ancient region of Coronel del Maule about 45km from the Pacific Coast. He manages 3 hectares of bush vines with his daughters who intend to carry on the vineyard's traditions. Sergio is responsible for over 70 harvests in his lifetime and is a bridge to viticulture long lost to time. “Pipeno” is a collaboration with Louis-Antoine Luyt. Luyt is a winemaker from France who studied at Domaine Lapierre. Here he was inspired to focus on restoring old vineyards and empowering small producers. He does this by investing in vineyards and offering consistent pricing over harvests instead of the fluctuation found with cooperatives.
Grapes: 100% Pais grapes that were planted before 1863. Some vines are 300 years old. They practice organic and dry farming techniques on the iron-rich, clay, granite and quartz soil. Besides some light pruning these vines require very little care having adapted to the area over time.
Production: The fruit is harvested by hand and manually destemmed using a zaranda (a traditional mat used to separate the berries from the stems). The zaranda also slightly bruises the fruit which helps start the spontaneous fermentation in open wooden largares. After several weeks of fermentation the wine is transferred to traditional barrels named “Pipa’s” to age another 3 months. The style “Pipeno” comes from the 300+ year tradition of using these pipa for making and ageing the wine.
Taste: Using these old methods of winemaking result in these glimpses into the past and what wines tasted like before global wine trends dominated the market. They hold a tension between their depth and levity. Dried figs, blackcurrant, earth, hibiscus tea, green olives, white pepper and a touch of vegemite all present a tone of seriousness on the nose. The palate retains most of this stern demeanor through the fruit tannins that rest in the front of the mouth. Due to the primeur style of winemaking that focuses on preserving acidity, the wine is quite light and fresh in the end.
Food: There is this delicious Mediterranean dish of baked filet white wish (cod, bass, halibut, etc.), cooked with green olives, tomatoes, shallots and fresh herbs and served over couscous. I’d also love this at Qing Xiang Yuan (QXY) with any of their mushroom based dumplings and friends to share.
