Viña González Bastías, Maule Valley, Chile: exciting naturally made wines from an amazing old vineyard
Website: https://www.vinosgonzalezbastias.com/
Jose Luís Bastías and Daniela Lorenzo are custodians of a remarkable six-hectare vineyard in Chile’s Maule Valley planted in the early 19th century. I visited on a cool day in November, and was amazed by what I saw. This vineyard is unlike any other that I’ve visited, with 200 year old bush vines taller than me.
Jose Luís is fifth generation of this family operation. He met Daniela, who is an agronomist, on a trip to Santiago. The chemistry must have been strong, as he convinced her to leave the city and head to the countryside.
Twenty kilometres away, three rivers converge on their way to the sea: the Maule, the Claro and the Loncamilla. In 2023 they flooded, and the vineyard was underwater. But it bounced back and looks very happy now. You can still find mud from the flooding in the trunks of some of the vines. Jose says that these floods, which happen every 20 years or so, are actually helping the vineyard, bringing new nutrients.
Most of the older vines, some well over 200 years old, are País. But there are also some younger Moscatel Negra vines, as well as Semillon and Torontel.
Winemaking is quite natural. For destemming, a traditional wooden Zaranda de Coligüe is used (a sheet of bamboo with the grapes caught between the gaps), and fermentation is with no additions in concrete. Then maturation takes place in amphora or traditional foudres made from Raulí oak. The only addition is a small amount of sulfites before bottling.
As well as walking the vineyard, we rowed over the river to the railway station, which is where the name for the wine project comes from.
Viña González Bastías Terre Madre 2020 Maule Valley, Chile
13% alcohol. Semillon/Torontel coferment. Grainy and supple with nice fresh citrus fruit, a hint of table grape and some nice bright acidity. There’s some structure here and also some volume in the mouth. 93/100
Viña González Bastías Naranjo 2022 Maule Valley, Chile
13% alcohol. Moscatel Rosada, Torontel and País, 60 days on skins. Cloudy yellow colour. Lovely aromatics with a hint of mint, some apricot and some pear. Fresh, nicely weighted palate with a bit of structure. So juicy and fine with a nice bright finish. So expressive. 94/100
Viña González Bastías Descabezedo 2024 Maule Valley, Chile
12.8% alcohol. This is País Rojo with 3 days on skins. Pale pink/red colour, this is juicy with a bit of grip. Nice tannins, sweet cherries, raspberries and a touch of cranberry. Very focused with lovely acid and energy. Juicy with hints of marmalade and lemon peel. 94/100
Viña González Bastías Salvaje 2023 Maule Valley, Chile
Cabernet Franc. This is fresh and vivid with black cherries and a floral, chalky edge. Pure vivid fruit with some blackcurrant and black cherry notes. Bright, structured, fruit driven and floral. 95/100
Viña González Bastías Matorral 2020 Maule Valley, Chile
13% alcohol. 100% País, raised in Rauli fudres, from 200 year old vines. This is vivid and juicy with nice redcurrant fruit and good acidity. So fresh and fine, this is pale red in colour but has lots of flavour. 95/100
Viña González Bastías Viognier Amarillo 2023 Maule Valley, Chile
Grapes are purchased from Cauquenes for this wine. 90 days on skins in stainless steel with some flor. Salty, mineral and saline with some apple and pear, and a touch of apricot. Structured and slightly oxidative, this is tangy and detailed. 95/100
Older notes
Viña González Bastías Naranjo 2019 Maule Valley, Chile
12.5% alcohol. 40% Pink Moscatel, 40% Torontel, 20% País. From 4 hectares of 200 year old bush vines. This is a cloudy golden colour. It has lovely rich flavours of peach and table grapes with some orange peel notes, some tinned pear and a twist of grapefruit, as well as a bit of pithiness. There’s a lovely texture here with subtle bitterness on the finish and a bit of structure, which counters the sweet fruit nicely. This is a really lovely orange wine. 92/100
Viña González Bastías Matorral 2019 Maule, Chile
13% alcohol. This is from Pais (aka Mission, Listan Prieto, Chileno, Hussa). From four hectares of 200 year old vines. It’s naturally made, and matured for 12 months in refurbished Chilean Raulí foudres. A very expressive lighter-styled red with red cherries, spice, some silkiness, with real purity and finesse. There’s massive drinkability here, but there’s also some seriousness: fine spices, a bit of grip, some nice mineral hints, too. It’s so enjoyable on a number of levels. 93/100
Viña González Bastías Tierra Madre 2019 Maule Valley, Chile
12.5% alcohol. 50% Semillon, 50% Torontel. This is so fine and fresh with lovely notes of mint, dried herbs and lemon. It’s a focused, fruity wine with lovely precision and delicate citrus, as well as some white peach and table grape. Fine and focused with a real brightness, and also some grainy, mineral spiciness. 92/100
