Garage Wine Tech Sheet.rbm2

 Garage Wine Company
Country: Chile
Region: Maule/Santiago Metropolitan
Appellation: Maule Valley
& Maipo Valley
Producer: Garage Wine Co.
Founded: 2008
Annual Production: 1500 cases
Farming: Sustainable
Website: www.garagewineco.cl
Derek Mossman, his wife Pilar Miranda, and Dr. Alvaro Peña are producing 1,500 cases total per
year of old-vine Carignan, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with fruit sourced from small
growers in Maule and Maipo. Winemaking here veers towards the "natural" spectrum - all wines are fermented with native yeast,
see no additions of any kind, very little new wood, and are low in sulfites. Punch downs are by hand,
and pressing is done in a small traditional basket. You may notice slight variation in bottle thickness
and shape if you were to open up cases, as Derek Mossman takes recycling to the next level and
actually reuses old bottles, bottling in salvaged, used wine bottles in partnership with a recycling
company located near the winery. Derek is also the founder of M.O.V.I. (Movimiento de Viñateros
Independientes), Chile's exciting, fast-growing association of vintners.
Mossman and Pilar Miranda, owners of the Garage Wine Co., actually did produce seven vintages in
their single-car garage in suburban Santiago. They still own no physical winery, using facilities at
William Fèvre’s estate outside the city to vinify their 30-40 barrels per year. Bottlings include a
straight Cabernet Franc and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from 3,000-foothigh vines in the Maipo Alto, east of Santiago, as well as a Carignan from a dry-farmed estate farther
south in Maule. The wines will be distributed in the United States under the label Indie Vintner.
Their harvests were and still are measured in barrels or 225-litre neutral (3rd thru 6th use) oak
barrels. First harvest they made but three, but soon they had to extend the garage to make space for
almost a dozen. Barrels are manageable in small spaces and allow for racking by hand.
Their fruit was, and still is, fermented using open-top fermenters. Caps are punched down by hand.
Pressing is manual. Yeasts are strictly native– working in a renovated cerca 1840 cellar, they are one
of the few in Chile whose native yeast wines really are just that. They do not suffer contamination by
airborn commericial yeasts from other winery operations under the same roof. Garage Wine Co is
opposed to manipulation and have learned to guide the wines through their natural process.
PO BOX 1438 TOPANGA CA | 310.455.1287 | www.garberandcompany.com | [email protected]
Garage Wine Co. (continued)
To their way of thinking, the wines personalities’ are well defined on the vine. The rub lies in
keeping them true. They pick the fruit in small parcels that fit on their pickup’s trailer and fit in their
small stainless tanks of 1900-2200 kgs.
Wines are barrel aged for two winters. Malolactic fermentation occurs slowly and naturally over the
cold winter months and usually finishes about Halloween but can take as long as Christmas
depending upon the winter. Garage wines are naturally produced. Enzymes, magic powders and
spinning simply do not fit into our way of doing things.
Generally the wines spend a full year in bottle before release, but to date futures buyers tend to pull
their bottles ASAP and Garage begins to release the wines when stocks of the previously year’s
wines run out.
Sulphites, a product used in the preservation of wine for millennia, are added sparingly before
bottling.
Mountain grown Cab Sauv & Cab Franc and Carignan based blends dry-farmed in the Maule.
Today they continue to make a Mountain grown Cabernet blend from high in the Maipo Valley. It is
a site at almost 1,000 meters above sea level. We also make a Cabernet Franc from a little further
down. Production amounts to 7 lots of between a dozen and a dozen and a half barrels of each (56,ooo bottles of each wine).
Garage’s main thrust today is their work with Carignan & Grenache in the Maule. These dry-farmed
old-vines are a national treasure that have never been given much attention.
PO BOX 1438 TOPANGA CA | 310.455.1287 | www.garberandcompany.com | [email protected]
Garage Wine Co. (continued)
Wine
Blend
Vine Age
Soil Type
Carignan Lot #34
81% Carignan
13%
Grenache
6%
Mourvèdre
100%
Cabernet
Franc
70+ year
old vines
Sand, Clay, limestone
Vineyard
Area
12 ha
70+ year
old vines
Sand, Clay, limestone
12 ha
81% Cabernet 70+ year
13% Cab
old vines
Franc
6% Merlot
Sand, Clay, limestone
12 ha
Cab Franc Lot #36
Cabernet Lot #37
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
Carignan Lot #34 2011
The Maule – Caliboro (Señora Patricia) This wine was grown by small farmers in the Maule,
farmed by hand and horse with traditional methods of dry-farming 70+ year old vines with a few
vines of Grenache & Mourvedre in the field-blend. It was fermented naturally in open-top. Caps
were punched down by hand and pressing was strictly manual. The wine was barrelled in neutral oak
over two winters and then bottled in recycled bottles.
This wine is a tribute to the resilience of the ploughmen farmers of the Maule, its having been
harvested on the heels of Chile’s 2010 earthquake. As this was the 34th wine they have produced
since 2001 it is thus labeled Lot # 34
This wine was made with open-top fermenters. Caps were punched down by hand. Pressing was
strictly manual. The wine was barrelled in neutral oak over two winters.
PO BOX 1438 TOPANGA CA | 310.455.1287 | www.garberandcompany.com | [email protected]
Garage Wine Co. (continued)
Wine Advocate – Robert Parker 93 pts It is bright ruby-colored with a serious nose mixing tree bark
aromas, red and black fruit, licorice and subtle spices. The Carignan is blended with some Grenache
and Cinsault. The palate is fluid with good acidity and medium body – pure, fresh, delicious
Mediterranean wine. This is a great, elegant blend. Drink now-2019.
“The Garage Wine Co. literally began in Derek Mossman’s garage with just eight barrels and is his
project together with his wife Pilar Miranda and a friend, Doc Alvaro Pena. Mossman, a native
Canadian, is one of the founding members of MOVI, the association of independent
winegrowers. The wines are vinified in 1,500 to 2,000-liter vats using native yeasts and bottled in
recycled bottles. One of the most impressive new names in Chile. I tasted their wines on different
occasions, which meant I did not manage to get a good overview of all of them together, so my
notes might seem a bit erratic, but such were the circumstances. I should make sure to sit down and
taste and discuss the whole line-up with Mossman next time ‘round, as I found the wines
intellectually enriching and want to understand them better. – Luis Gutierrez WA # 213 – 6/14
JancisRobinson.com Garage Wine Co, Lot # 34, 2011 Maule 16.5 Juicy, exuberant red fruit. Quality
oak, though it is quite prominent at this early stage, and fresh, attractive acidity. Tender and well
crafted. (RH) 14.1% Drink 2014-2019
GWCo Lot # 27 Carignan – 2010 The 2010 Carignan (91%) – Grenache (9%) sports an intriguing
nose of exotic spices, black plum, black cherry, underbrush, and earthy minerals. This is followed by
a plush, succulent, pleasure-bent wine that is more structured than its peers. Give it 5-6 years to
reveal its full potential and drink it from 2016 to 2025 92 pts Parker
The 2008 Lot #17 Old Vine Carignan Field Blend includes unknown amounts of Cabernet Franc
and Malbec sourced from a 65-year-old parcel and aged in neutral oak. Purple in color with a
captivating nose of exotic spices, incense, wild berries, and floral notes, in the glass it opens to reveal
a complex, rich, layered wine packed into a medium- bodied frame. Give it 5-6 years to reveal its full
potential and drink it from 2016 to 2023. 92 pts Parker
GWCo Lot # 17 Carignan Old-bush vines vintage – 2008 This Carignan-based blend is savoury and
slightly funky with complex notes of clove spice, red fruits and balsamic vinegar. Yet another great
wine from Maule. Tim Atkin UK – 91 points
Aging potential 2013 – 2020 • Pairing Recommendation Beef, Pork, Fowl—the acidity of this wine
makes it sing with rich foods. Classic restaurant wine
PO BOX 1438 TOPANGA CA | 310.455.1287 | www.garberandcompany.com | [email protected]
Garage Wine Co. (continued)
Cabernet Franc Lot #36 Maipo Alto 2011
Pirque – Maipo Valley This wine was mountain grown near San Juan de Pirque in the Maipo valley
and farmed with traditional methods. It was allowed to ferment naturally in open-top fermenters,
outside of a little help through cold harvest nights with hot water bottles. Caps were punched down
by hand and pressing was strictly manual. The wine was barrelled in neutral oak of three or more
uses for two winters. Varietal composition 100 % Cab Franc
Wine Advocate – Robert Parker 92 pts Lot #36 Cabernet Franc is from a vineyard at 800 meters
altitude in the Pirque region in the Alto Maipo, a place already well-known for Cabernet. This wine
has a clean aroma of raspberry leaf and red fruits along with balsamic notes and great purity. The
palate is medium-bodied, fresh, clean and pure, with a bitter note that lingers in your mouth. Drink
now-2017. – Luis Gutierrez WA # 213 – June 2014
“One of the most impressive new names in Chile.”- Luis Gutierrez
“I should make sure to sit down and taste and discuss the whole line-up with Mossman next time
‘round, as I found the wines intellectually enriching and want to understand them better.” – Luis
Gutierrez
Steve Tanzer – Int’l Wine Cellar Lot # 28 2010 Bright ruby. Intense, spice-accented aromas of
cherry, redcurrant and violet, with smoke and mineral topnotes. Juicy and precise on the palate,
offering energetic red fruit flavors that take on weight with air. Finishes smoky, spicy and very long,
with slow-building tannins and resonating florality. 91 Steve Tanzer / Josh Raynolds
Wine Advocate – Robert Parker , #204 Dec 2012 The 2010 Lot 28 Cabernet Franc comes from
25+- year-old vines at 800 meters altitude and spends two winters in oak. It has a very convincing,
fresh, expressive bouquet with pure brambly, briary black fruit and freshly tilled soil. The palate is
medium- bodied with crisp black cherry and blueberry fruit on the entry. The tannins are fine and
edgy, while the finish is beautifully composed and contains Margaux- like femininity. This is
extremely well-crafted Cabernet Franc, surfeit with personality. Drink now-2017. 92 pts
Aging potential 2012-2018 • Red meat light sauce, pasta… … floral notes make this wine flexible – a
red for fish for some.
PO BOX 1438 TOPANGA CA | 310.455.1287 | www.garberandcompany.com | [email protected]