Escándalo Carignan is made from vines 75-80 years old that were planted in the Colchagua Valley in the 1940’s.
Latitude of Colchagua Valley: between 34° 15 ́ and 34° southern latitude.
The Colchagua Valley has a hot, dry climate that is somewhat mitigated by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean (70 km). Rainfall: 400-450/year.
The soil is a mix of clay, lime, and sand, alluvial in origin, with average fertility, arable, with loose stone and metamorphic rocks at a depth of 30 cm. Flat topography, with slight undulations. Arable area.
Irrigation: flood irrigation depending on water regimes.
Vineyard: Gobelet system (head trained) converted to spur pruning and trained on double cordon with 8-12 buds per vine.
Mechanical weed control (no chemicals). Fungal disease managed with sulphur.
Bud burst: second week of September.
Harvest: second week of March.
Winemaking
Hand harvest. Destemmed and set in stainless steel tank. Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. Fermentation used occasionally with 10% of whole cluster. In every vintage we use 5-10% of another variety in co-fermentation (Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot) to increase complexity. Fermentation and skin contact usually take 15-21 days. Draining and pressing with low pressure (no more than 0.6 bars) 2-4 days after the end of fermentation.
Wine aging. The wine is usually aged in 100% stainless steel tanks. Old French oak barrels are used in some vintages, about 10%. Stabilization is natural from cold winter temperatures. No finings are used. We usually do two rackings to clean the wine.
Bottling follows after the winter without any industrial filter. We use pieces of pantyhose material as a filter to keep foreign matter out of the bottle.
Escándalo Carignan
Wine
Alcohol percentage: 12.5-13.5.
pH: 3.3-3.4
The wine is energetic in the mouth with grainy tannins. High persistence. Medium body with muscularity, medium-high acidity, balanced and fresh. On the nose it has a plummy aroma, blackberries, meaty, notes of pepper, spice, leather, stony and earthy. Deep purple color.
Serving temperature: 15-16oC
Pairing: Cured ham, brisket, foie gras, beef bourguignon, cassoulet, tenderloin, burgers, tri-tip steak, rib roasts, porterhouse steak, BBQ, lamb chops, etc.
Serving temperature: 15-16oC. Uncork 40 minutes before serving and serve in a stemmed wine glass. Use of a decanter or oxygenator is considered
ideal.
The winemaking and nature of the grape make Escándalo Carignan a wine that evolves positively until the fourth year after it has been harvested.
