Wine & Spirits - Winter 2017 - 95

Undurraga
Thanks to the thorough work of winemaker Rafael Urrejola, Undurraga today
offers one of the most complete terroir studies in Chile.

If the Chilean wine scene is focused today on presenting a sense of place in
its wines, exploring new regions and rediscovering forgotten grapes, that path
has been laid out by De Martino.
The Revolution: The De Martino family came from Italy in 1934 and
settled in the Maipo Valley. During the 1990s they built their wine
business with the resurgence of Chilean wine in export markets.
However, the great change in De Martino happened when, at the
beginning of this decade, the fourth generation of the family took
charge and started a small revolution-one that has had a great influence on all Chilean wine.
A New Face: In 2011, Marco and Sebastián De Martino agreed with
winemaker Marcelo Retamal on a series of new priorities: no more
new barrels or any process that might standardize their wines; earlier
harvests in search of freshness; and a focus on recovering old techniques, places and forgotten grapes. That resulted in some exceptional new wines, particularly the Itata Valley Old Tinajas Cinsault.
Exploring the traditions of this early winegrowing region in the south
of Chile, they chose to work with cinsault, fermenting and aging it in
clay amphorae as local growers did. The first vintage, 2011, tasted like
the delicious juice of fresh fruit, holding onto its radiant acidity. The
2016 adds a captivating depth that makes it difficult to resist.
Old Vines Revealed: The De Martinos have invested in Itata, with an
ancient vineyard they purchased in 2014, 13 miles from the coast, in
Guariligüe. Retamal found it as part of his decade-long exploration
of old vines throughout Chile. Among his discoveries is a seven-acre
vineyard in Las Cruces, in the Cachapoal Valley. Planted in 1957, twothirds malbec and one-third carménère, Retamal renovated the vines
to create his 2014 Las Cruces Red. It's layered with the lively and
enveloping fruit of malbec and the spiciness of carménère. The wine's
depth of character is not only delicious, but also provides
a clear example of the potential of old vines in Chile, a
potential that De Martino has begun to reveal. -P.T.

Ashes to Ashes: T.H. (Terroir Hunter) started with
a small cache of wines. Today, Urrejola produces 17 T.H. wines from across Chile's winegrowing regions, both new and traditional.
In the first group is Limari T.H. Barrana
Syrah 2014, from a 20-year-old vineyard
planted on alluvial terraces of the Limarí
river, where the soils are rich in limestone.
With the ash notes typical of the syrah of
Rafael Urrejola
northern Chile, this also has a delicious acidity, sharp enough to unpack all the refreshing flavors and aromas-a pure expression of
Limarí's syrah.
An Andean Classic: In a more traditional area in Alto Maipo,
Urrejola produces his T.H. Pirque from a vineyard planted on the
alluvial soils of the Clarillo River, a tributary of the Maipo. His 2014
expresses the character of Pirque cabernet with total clarity. The altitude of the vineyard (2,300 feet) and the closeness to Los Andes gives
the wine a fresh, delicate character, with detailed scents of herbs,
menthol and earthy flavors. In all, six T.H. wines earned exceptional
scores this year, including two "Rarities" from the south. Check out
the país-cinsault, from 70-year-old dry-farmed vines in La Soledad, a
district of Maule. The wine is refreshing and vibrant, filled with crisp
red fruit and the lovely, rustic texture of país, which makes up 85 percent of the blend. It's ready to drink with something meaty, like chorizo. -P.T.

DETAILS & TOP WINES

Founded: 1934 * Winemakers: Marcelo Retamal, Eduardo
Jordñán * Viticulturist: Remo De Martino * Owner: The
De Martino family * Acres owned: 617 * Annual production: 150,000 cases * Estate grown: 75% * Importer:
Broadbent Selections, San Francisco, CA Website:
demartino.cl

Founded: 1885 * Winemaker: Rafael Urrejola
Viticulturist: Francisco Valdivieso * Owners: Hampton Group
& José Yuraszek * Acres owned: 2,718 * Annual production:
1.5 million cases * Estate grown: 95% * Importer: Maritime
Wine Trading Collective, San Francisco, CA
Website: undurraga.cl

95 2016 Itata Valley Viejas Tinajas Cinsault $43
94 2014 Cachapoal Valley Las Cruces Old Vine $43
92 2016 Itata Valley Gallardia Cinsault $20
(all 2/17)

94 2014 Limarí T.H. Barrana Syrah $30
94 2014 Alto Maipo T.H. Pirque Cabernet Sauvignon $30
93 2014 Peumo T.H. Carmenère $30
(all 2/17)

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De Martino

Hunting for New Terroirs: Undurraga was founded in 1885 by the businessman Francisco Undurraga, who based the winery on the Isla
de Maipo, very close to Chile's capital, Santiago. For over a century,
Undurraga remained in the hands of the family until, in 2006, it was
sold to the Piccioto and Yuraszeck families, who began a series of
changes. The main one was hiring Rafael Urrejola to take charge of
creating T.H., a line that expands the boundaries of Undurraga in search of new terroirs for its wines.

http://www.demartino.cl http://www.undurraga.cl

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2017