Is Syrah the new icon variety for Limarí?

Chile’s Limarí region is establishing its reputation for Syrah after Maycas del Limarí’s icon wine, Los Acacios 2014, was name the best Syrah in Chile in a prestigious Chilean wine guide.

Winemakers Marcelo Papa and Javier Villarroel in the El Tangue vineyard, part of Vina Maycas, Limari Valley, Chile; owned by Concha y Toro

The recent win in the 2016 edition of Descorchados heralds the increasing quality of Syrah from the northern-most winegrowing region of Chile, a region usually associated with the classic Burgundian grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Winemakers Marcelo Papa and Javier Villarroel have been working in Limarí since 2005 and established their first venture with Syrah with Maycas del Limarí’s Sumaq and Reserva Especial lines, before acquiring the Los Acacios vineyard in 2007 to develop more unusual expressions from the classic grape.

Although sitting on the fringes of the desert, the low lying region is close to the ocean and benefits from cooling winds from the Pacific, along with a marine fog named the Camanchaca which protects the fruit from over-exposure to sunlight. Combined with the calcium carbonate soil, rich is red clay, this helps gives its icon wine an unusual personality, vivid character and bright acidity, the company claims.

“Syrah is a grape variety which has the potential to adapt itself to different climates and soils, and Limarí allows the existence of a fresher and coastal Syrah, with fruity aroma, fresh berries, more pepper, lighter body and easy tannins,” explains Papa.

Whereas the first Sumaq and Reserva Especial Syrahs were fruity, juicy and aromatic, the duo found a different expression in the new vineyard, which they have developed further for the icon Los Acacios Syrah using vinification techniques.

“With Los Acacios we found a new and also attractive style, a more serious, concentrated and direct Syrah – elegant, serious and with chalky tannins,” Villarroel notes.

“This variety allows us to play with the different kinds of soils and also with the climate of the valley,” he adds, explaining that in soils with more clay (more than 50%), the style of the Syrah has more expressive aromas with softer concentration and softer tannins, whereas in soils with more calcium carbonate, it produces medium intensity aromas, with more tannin.

The Los Acacios vineyard, which is planted with 57.7 hectares of Syrah, is set along the south bank of the Limarí River on soils made up of 40% clay with higher concentrations of calcium carbonate. It is able to produce around 5,000 L for its icon wines. The team explains that there is no defoliation and the grapes need to be protected from sunlight, as well as pruning to ensure a good distribution of the clusters.

During fermentation the Syrah is treated in a similar way to Pinot Noir, in open top vats, with cup immersion of the wine and cold maceration. The grapes are also not grounded to avoid aggressive tannins, while the containers are separated from the skins early (‘descubes’) to ensure fresher and more delicate flavours.

However the team insists that one of the biggest influences on the wine is the 5,000 L untoasted oak barrels – the fudres – which are used to age the wine for 18 months.

With these, the Syrah acquires the virtues of wood, preserving its fruit, freshness and minerality, resulting in a wine of soft and round tannins and delicate acidity, the team explains, adding that different mechanism are used to respect the style and the origin of the different wines.

“In the case of Los Acacios icon Syrah, its aromatic intensity is lower than the Sumaq line, so the use of oak barrels would give wood notes to this wine,” he said. This contrasts with the Reserva Especial line, which uses casks for 80% of the wine, with 20% aged in in 2-5 year old barrel for 10 months, while Sumaq ages 70% of its wines in oak for 12 months, with the rest in stainless steel.

“It is a grape with potential, and one that is able to adapt very well to the Limarí Valley” Villarroel argues. “And no one can be indifferent to Los Acacios, it attracts by its personality.”