Escorial 2020

In 1996, Alvaro Espinoza , together with his wife and family, planted a small plot of one hectare in Maipo Alto, thus realizing a dream that had been in the family for decades: to make a personal wine, made by hand, guided solely through instinct, the nose and the conviction of being able to honestly express the noble terroirs of Maipo . Since its creation, Antiyal has established itself alone towards the production of high-end wines, 100% family-owned and focused on biodynamic agriculture. Today, these values ​​continue to guide the winery, which today stands out as one of the pioneers in the practice of biodynamics in Chile. Antiyal is a Mapuche word meaning "children of the sun" , a nod to the use of the cosmos in his biodynamic practice.

This cuvée is made from Carménère grapes from one of the best and smallest plots of the estate, named Escorial, with only 0.8 hectares. It is grown organically by Álvaro Espinoza and his family. Soils of volcanic and basalt origin have a high content of minerals and organic matter. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in stainless vats using native yeasts. The wine is then aged for 12 months in ovoid-shaped concrete vats. ( The shape of the egg allows a natural and constant movement of the wine. It is as if the wine was in a continuous stirring process. In addition, the porous concrete walls allow micro-oxygenation without the need to use wood, without interfering with the flavors and aromas that the barrels usually bring )

It is a wine that impresses with its freshness, fluidity and tension, which balance all its power and smoothness. The aromatic palette is very complex expressing notes of licorice , prune , blackcurrant , blackberries , blueberry , cold ash , aromatic herbs , sweet spices, leather and mocha . The wine is dense and fleshy, with firm tannins and juicy acidity which makes it digestible and delicious. The finish is long and refined.

It was Hernán Cortés who ordered, upon the conquest of Mexico, the cultivation of vines in 1524. It gradually extended from Mexico southwards to reach Chile in 1555. During the first 3 centuries of colonization, there was no Cultivated in Chile as país, a black grape variety without character and very productive. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that noble varieties were introduced: mainly cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Twenty years later, winemaking was modernized under the leadership of wealthy owners and French experts who were forced into unemployment by phylloxera in Europe. Chile stretches 4,300 kilometers from north to south. It is wedged between the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, the Patagonian plains and glaciers to the south. These natural barriers prevented phylloxera from entering the country. Although the country is only 160 kilometers wide, it has ideal conditions for growing warm, intermediate and cool grape varieties, so much so that it is often described as a paradise for growing grapes. With nearly 300 properties producing bottled wines, Chile fluctuates between 6th and 8th place in the world.