SAQ Lujan de Cuyo Sobrenatural 2021, Chakana Winery, Argentina

Follow this link for SAQ: https://www.saq.com/fr/14529845

Supernatural Tannat

We often talk about these estates featuring multiple generations at the helm or that have been producing wine for hundreds of years. For Chakana, we will set aside the heritage to highlight an interesting modernity that emphasizes organic practices, terroir, and the collaboration of various producers in the Lujan de Cuyo region (again...) in Mendoza, Argentina.

The project was born in 2002 with plantings on four different fincas. Finca Nuna, further north, is entirely organic, and of its 80 hectares of ungrafted vines, half are Malbec (it is Lujan, after all) and two hectares are Tannat, which produce this wine. The two varietals are co-fermented and contain no added sulfites. We are dealing here with biodynamic cultivation, and the wines are neither fined nor filtered.

With its 80% Tannat blend, the color will be an intense ruby, and the nose will feature notes of fig and black blackberry (Malbec). The attack will be fresh with slightly rough tannins that will soften upon contact with air. It is a biodynamic variation of varietals that are generally worked in a modern style in the Southern Hemisphere. We are saving a list of superlatives to accompany this "Surnaturel," available starting Thursday.

• To pair with it: marinated BBQ pork ribs,
• Fun fact: Tannat arrived in South America around 1840 in the luggage of a Basque immigrant who gave a few plants to Pascal Harriague, who would become the pioneer of viticulture in Uruguay.
• To better understand the wines of Portugal: get on the waiting list for the workshop on the subject in the fall of '24!
• To see what the estate is capable of with white wine, Pacto white 2023, $19 at the SAQ (14491251)