Description

PRODUCER:
Viña Echeverría is a family-run estate winery, owned and managed by the Echeverría family. Established in 1930, but with an agricultural heritage dating back to the 1700s, Viña Echeverría remains, as it always has, driven by a shared passion for winemaking and an uncompromising pursuit of excellence. Viña Echeverría combines nearly a century of viticulture and winemaking expertise with a modern, state-of-the-art winery to produce an extensive collection of high-quality wines. The ‘No es Pituko’ range represents a radical departure from the rest of the more traditional Echeverría wines, both in look and makeup, being vinified naturally, without any additions at any stage. Viña Echeverría has recently been awarded its Sustainable Winery status by Wines of Chile, as well as its ISO9000 certification.

VINEYARD:
The grapes come from a single vineyard in the Entre Cordilleras area of the Curicó Valley, situated at 243 metres above sea-level. The climate is Mediterranean with long, dry summers and intense sunlight. There is a marked diurnal temperature range, where the cooler evenings encourage balancing natural acidity and aromatic complexity in the fruit, which leads to elegant wines. The 35-year old vines are ungrafted, selected from clones of pre-phylloxera rootstock. Grown in alluvium soils, with clay-loam content and the presence of stone at 80 centimetres depth, the soils are fertile, which allows the vines to express their full fruit potential. The vines are trained on the Lyre system, which allows the air and sun to circulate through the vine canopy and helps to prevent mildew. The vineyards are cultivated according to sustainable agricultural methods.

WINEMAKING:
No es Pituko’ is Chilean slang for ‘it ain’t fancy’, reflecting the fact that this wine was vinified naturally, without any additions at any stage. The Viognier grapes were hand-harvested and taken to the winery in 18kg boxes to preserve the quality. They were destemmed, pressed and cooled at 8°C before being fermented with wild yeasts from the environment. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures of 13 to 17°C and lasted for 25 days. The wine then spent three months on its fine lees, imparting texture and complexity. The wine was made without the addition of any sulphur and was bottled without fining or filtration.

VINTAGE:
The 2023 vintage was a complicated harvest for the development of the vines. Good soil water reserves from the winter started the vintage well, but a cool spring led to a slow start. The temperatures increased as summer arrived and into autumn, but an absence of rainfall delayed the ripening of the grapes. However, the fruit harvested was healthy and reached a good concentration of flavours with slightly higher sugar and pH levels compared to the previous vintage.

TASTING NOTE:
The delicately cloudy appearance reflects its natural vinification. Vibrant aromas of peach and tropical fruits are layered with buttery notes and balanced by a refreshing natural acidity.

GRAPES:
Viognier 100%.

AWARDS:
• 92 Points, Tim Atkin MW, 2024