Miguel Torres Santa Digna Riserva Shiraz 2011
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Miguel Torres Chile was founded in 1979 by Familia Torres, who has produced wine in Spain for over 150 years. Being the first foreign winery to establish itself in Chile, Miguel Torres introduced in the country the use of stainless-steel tanks in fermentation and French oak barrels for the aging, technologies that opened a new horizon for the Chilean wine industry. The pioneering spirit of Miguel Torres Chile is more alive than ever guiding projects such as Estelado, the first sparkling wine made with Pais grape which led the rescue of traditional but forgotten varieties, or ¨Empedrado¨, first Pinot Noir from slate soil in Chile and one of the most challenging projects of the winery. From the North down to the Patagonia, Miguel Torres Chile seeks for the best terroirs where every growing region has its own stamp on the wines. Miguel Torres Chile is actively committed to the environment and to the people; all its vineyards are certified organic, and it is one of the biggest wineries certified with Fair Trade. Today, Miguel Torres is leading the recovery of ancestral varieties from the South of Chile, rescuing a unique heritage of the traditional winemaking.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Maule is the 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. The Maule Valley enjoys success with a unique set of grapes.
It lays claim to the local variety, Pais (synonymous with Tinta Pais, which is actually Tempranillo), which has dominated much of the region’s area 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.
The Maule includes the subregions of Talca, San Clemente, San Javier, Parral, Linares and Cauquenes.