Carignan "Hombre en Llamas" Leonardo Erazo, Itata Valley 2019

Leonardo Erazo, Itata Valley

Leo Erazo’s Los Viñateros Bravos and his eponymous label wines come from the Guarilihue area of Chile’s Itata Valley, the first settlement of Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century who brought their own vines. Dominated by ancient pink/orange granite dating from the Cretaceous period and younger volcanic soils, the minimalist and naturalist, Leonardo Erazo, practices organic, biodynamic, and dry farming with the own-rooted, ancient 150-300-year-old País bush vines. All the wines are vinified with spontaneous fermentations in concrete (eggs, spheres, and more), amphoras, large wood vats and food-grade polymer containers, and they’re pressed in a vertical, wooden press.

Hombre en Llamas Carignan comes from 0.3ha with an average vine age of 31 years (2023) on a soft slope facing east at 270m on orange granite bedrock with a 20cm topsoil of orange clay and large-grain quartz rock both derived from the underlying bedrock.

Vibrancy and complexity it is a must try for those looking to taste something different. The cold climate and the fact of being situated on the top of the hilll have a big impact on shaping this wine. 

Grape: 100% Carignan

Organic