Tickets in bio - Join us on the 7th at our LATE SUMMER TASTING to try very old vine wines from Clos de Luz. Clos de Luz is a small family winery located in Almahue Valley, a sub area of the Rapel Valley, and is currently run by Gabriel Edwards. The estate, bought by his great grandfather in 1892, comprises vineyards planted in 1945 by Gabriel’s grandmother, Luz, after whom the winery takes its name. Almahue is the Chilean cradle of Carménère and the vines at Luz are amongst the oldest in the world. The grapes were being sold for more than 20 years to Casa Lapostolle, until Gabriel, who had been studying and working in France, decided to return to Chile and make his own wine. He is very much a part of the new wave of smaller producers in Chile, championing the diversity of terroirs and practicing sustainable viticulture. The Almahue Valley is located 70 miles Southeast of Santiago and some 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean and although the viticultural history of the valley can be traced to the 17th century, modern viticulture only started in 1933, when Gabriel’s ancestors planted Bordeaux varieties such as Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate’s vineyards are certified as organic and are planted “franc de pied” - 100% un-grafted vines on their own rootstocks which gives a unique character to the wines. The vineyards are also 100% Massal selection from old vineyards. This method preserves the natural diversity of the plants with each of them contributing a different characteristic to the final blend resulting in more complex wines. The vineyards are ploughed by horses and the grass is removed by hand with shovels. Winemaking is very natural with no acidification, only indigenous yeasts used and no chemical additives, save for a small amount of SO2 at bottling. Gabriel wants his wines to emphasize elegance, balance and freshness and to this end he harvests earlier than most local producers, yet despite this and perhaps because of the age of the vines and the small yields, the wines never show herbaceous notes that can often affect Carménère. All of his wines have a vitality to them and show just what Chile is capable of. @clos_de_luz