2022 Granito País, Itata Valley, Chile

ABOUT THIS WINE

Bollén is an evergreen shrub native to central Chile that flowers concurrently with Chile’s vineyards. Hearty and adapted to the same conditions as grape vines, Bollén greeted Spanish missionaries who settled in the Itata Valley in 1551 when they first planted País as an heirloom reminder of home. Selected by Marcelo Retamal and Eric Solomon in honor of Chile’s viticultural past, Granito comes from a single vineyard of País grown on granitic soils a scant 20km from the Pacific Ocean.

Known as Volume 2 of the Granito project, this came about during the pandemic while Eric Solomon chatted with Marcelo Retamal as he exited De Martino to focus his attention on Viñedos de Alcohuaz and launching his eponymous project, RETA. While some might refer to this pivot as a retirement, Reta shows no signs of slowing down managing vineyards from Maule to the Atacama while also spending his “winters” in Spain working on a project in the Sierra de Gredos. So when it was brought up that País is enamored with the lithe and minera-driven Listán Negro from Rofe in Lanzarote, Reta had already scouted out a País vineyard for the project. Situated in Itata and facing the cooling influence of the Pacific a scant 20km away, these are fairly young vines of País, being only 100 years or so old. Planted on its own roots in sandy soils weathered from quartz and white granite, Reta saw in these vines the rare opportunity for concentration and liveliness where the charming freshness and rusticity of País would benefit from a long growing season without excess alcohol.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Granite Project came about by happenstance. When Eric Solomon teamed up with Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia to create Granito del Cadalso, they thought it was a stand-alone custom cuvée. Randomly or by luck, additional collaborations with talented winemakers followed suit – a País from Itata in partnership with Marcelo Retamal and a Beaujolais-Villages with Marine Descombe and Kevin Jandard. The one thing they had in common was their origins in granitic soils. These terroirs have been relatively overlooked by terroiristas despite Granite being one of the earth’s most ancient and prevalent building blocks. Having its origins deep underground as magma that slowly cooled and crystallized under pressure, it is composed of large crystals of quartz, feldspar, and silica. As granite weathers when exposed to water, it breaks down into sandy clay soils rich in mineral nutrients ideally suited for cultivating vines. The resultant wines, despite the variety, reveal a combination of weightless density and a soaring floral minerality.