Syrah Gran Reserva
The vintage
The Los Vascos Cromas name inspired us with the colours of nature that reflect the terroir and the Los Vascos teams’ expertise.
With this new change, the drier-than-usual start to the season required early irrigation and meticulous monitoring of the vineyard. The major challenge for the 2019 vintage essentially resulted from the extremely high temperatures at the end of January and beginning of February (reaching 40.6°C). Fortunately, the much cooler nights, with a record low of 10.2°C, allowed high-quality grapes to be obtained with excellent ripeness and balance.
Location
Stretching from the Coastal range to the foothills of the Andes mountains, Colchagua’s Mediterranean climate and privileged terroirs have made it a place of choice to produce quality wines in Chile. Los Vascos estate lies at the foothills of the coastal range, 200km South West of Santiago, in the cooler part of Colchagua where the vines benefit from the natural cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean.
Terroir
The 4000 ha of Los Vascos allows us to select the most appropriated terroir for each varietal. The best Syrah in the world are grown on granitic soils and we are lucky that all our hillsides are made of granite. This convinced us that there was a great potential for Syrah at Los Vascos.
Since 1998 we have been experimenting with this variety, getting to understand how it behaves in the vineyard and in the winery. The first plantations for a super premium Syrah was done in 2005 on the hills of ‘El Mirador’. As of the first vintage we realised that the potential was even higher than anticipated and we extended the surfaces in this area from 2009 onwards until reaching the 53 ha dedicated to this varietal today.
Over the years, the results have kept impressing us as the vines are finding their balance, revealing more and more the unique expression of our terroir, with the various sites offering different facets that complement each other to render a rich complexity.
Winemaking
The excellent grape quality called for a gentle fermentation with minimal intervention in order to retain the delicate expression of the terroir.
The wine was made in stainless steel tanks at a temperature controlled between 25-27°C before being aged 12 months in French oak barrels.
Tasting
Purple color with violet hues. Expressive nose of flowers, especially violets, packed with layers of red fruits like fresh plums and figs, and spices like black pepper and anise. Subtle oak aromas over a backdrop of graphite, tobacco, and cedar. Its delightful palate presence of balanced acidity, fine-grain tannins, excellent volume, perfect body, and long finish evidences its huge potential and hints a delicate and elegant evolution. A wine that takes you on a journey through the slopes of Los Vascos estate.
Alcohol content
14.5
Grapes
Syrah
: 100 %