2012 Clos des Fous Cauquenina

Iata, Maule, Chile

Clos des Fous is about four friends – four crazy guys that have chosen to ignore the “experts” about where to plant vineyards and to trust their own instincts. The team is viticulturist Paco Leyton, winemaker Francois Massoc, terroir hunter Pedro Parra, and “bringer of wisdom” Albert Cussen.

Clos des Fous, at his heart, is a project dedicated to finding extreme terroirs in Chile and then exploiting those to craft unique wines. They focus on minimal intervention viticulture and winemaking, with the goal of allowing the terroir to express its natural balance and spirit. They are inspired by the wines of Burgundy, where both Pedro and Francois trained.

JS 94 VM 91 RP 91

James Suckling rated Clos des Fous Cauquenina 2012 94 points: "A crazy blend of blackberry, blueberry, cloves, leather and dried flowers. Full body with great fruit and round tannins. Such depth and genuine character. Fresh too. Comes from ancient vines in the south of Chile. Head pruned. No barrels. Carignan, cinsault, touriga nacional, país, carmenere, malbec and syrah. Drink or hold."

36% Carignan, 18% Malbec, 15% Syrah, 15% País, 9% Cinsault, 7% Carmenere