Los Queules Cinsault

Carter Mollenhauer

Carter Mollenhauer
Los Queules Cinsault

Husband and wife team Edgard Carter and Karine Mollenhauer run their family winery in the Maule, making a few small-production wines from indigenous grapes. Their idea is to elevate the reputation of purity and authenticity of Chilean wine through organic farming, and minimal intervention in the cellar.

This single vineyard, ungrafted, dry farmed bush vine Cinsault is their Cru from Guarilihue Alto. It was planted in 1955 in rocky soils at 265m. The wine was native fermented with 80% foot trodden whole clusters, and vinified slowly in a Chilean tinaja, with maceration lasting 138 days. It then aged 4 months in older barrels. There were no sulphites used during vinification or aging.

So fragrant, with lavender, rosemary, iris, wild mint, native pine. Salted, pitchy, and herbaceous. So intense, but so light, with lifted, finessed, expressive aromatics and long, fine tannins with ample salinity throughout, lingering on the finish. An intoxicating wine. 824 bottles.

“I love the nose and the fluidity of the bright ruby 2020 Los Queles Cinsault, which surprised me when I read 14% alcohol, as the wine feels lighter and less ripe, but it is terribly balanced and tasty. It was produced with grapes from a vineyard planted in 1955 in Guarilihue in Itata. It fermented with 80% full clusters that were foot trodden in tinaja, where it matured for four months and a further four in well-seasoned barrels. It's expressive and varietal, with typicity from the place. Only 824 bottles and 33 magnums were filled in December 2020. Drink 2021-2024.” - 92 points, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate, August 31, 2021.

Read about Carter Mollenhauer here.

Vintage: 2020
Bottle Size: 750 mL
Bottles per Case: 6
Price per Bottle: $53
Style: Still

Appellation: DO Itata
Region: Guarilihue Alto
Country: Chile

Grape: Cinsault
Colour: Red
Vegan: Yes
Organic: Yes
Biodynamic: No
Natural: Yes
Low Intervention: Yes