2021 Gillmore Mariposa País

In the late 1980s, Chilean visionary Francisco Gillmore took over operations of the century-old Tabontinaja winery and its ancient dry-farmed vineyards planted with the rustic País variety. He took advantage of their healthy, hearty roots and grafted them with fine French varieties.

From the beginning his wines were imbued with vibrant acidity and tremendous character because of this unique dry-farmed condition of restriction and resistance. He was joined by his daughter, Daniella Gillmore, whose love of the country life guides her in overseeing the vineyards and the collection of native fauna on the farm. Her husband, winemaker Andrés Sánchez, is the talented artisan behind their wines Hacedor de Mundos, Vigno, Mariposa, and Cobre. Their two children, Martín and Dominga now represent the third generation of the family to stretch their roots deep into the heart of this special zone of Maule.

Vina Gillmore is among the founding members of MOVI (Independent Vintner’s Movement), and Andrés was the driving force behind the recently formed Carignan Club (Vigno).

Maule is the Chilean Central Valley’s most southern and coolest zone, reaching a southern latitude of 35°S, yet it is still warmer and drier than Bío-Bío to its south. It lays claim to the local variety, País, which has dominated much of the region under vine until the recent past. Now many growers, not confined by the tradition and regulations of the Old World, also successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon.

While Maule’s total area under vine remains relatively static, its old Carignan vineyards are undergoing a great revival. The VIGNO (Vignadores del Carignan Vintners) group, an association in charge of promoting this long-forgotten variety, is getting fantastic results from the old vines in its dry-farmed coastal zones.

Planted as the first vitis vinifera (meaning common wine grape) in the U.S., País has a long significant history in the Americas. Originally from Spain, where the grape is known as Listán Prieto, it was brought by Spanish colonists to Mexico in 1540 and, later, during the late 1700s, to Mission San Diego in California where it would take on another new name, Mission. Propagated for its use as a sacramental wine, Mission remained important in California until the spread of phylloxera in the 1880s. In Chile it is called País. In Argentina, País is known as Criolla Chica.

The Mariposa País drinks like a French Beaujolais with its medium body, bright fruit and soft tannins. Winemaker’s notes describe the wine: “Produced in small batches from old vines, the País has a natural acidity that lends well to aging. It has aromas of strawberries and raspberries and in the mouth it is dry, fresh, balanced, and medium-bodied.”