VIÑATEROS BRAVOS Pipeño Tinto '22

VIÑATEROS BRAVOS Pipeño Tinto '22 (A Los Viñateros Bravos) is a bright, unfiltered, and supremely crushable revival of Chile’s oldest wine style from Leonardo (Leo) Erazo in the historic Guarilihue hills of the Itata Valley.

Leo, a trained agronomist and enologist with a minimalist, terroir-obsessed approach, works with some of the region’s oldest dry-farmed, own-rooted bush vines — many planted nearly a century ago (or averaging 60+ years) on steep, west-facing granite slopes at around 250m elevation. These ancient pink/orange granite soils with clay-quartz topsoil, cooled by coastal breezes, give the wines their signature transparency and mineral snap. The Pipeño tradition dates back to 1551 — the very first wines made in Chile by Spanish settlers — simple, honest “farm wines” meant for everyday drinking right after harvest.

For the 2022, it’s 100% old-vine Cinsault. The grapes see a gentle natural fermentation (about 20% whole cluster) with light punch-downs or cap wetting over three weeks at cool temperatures, then age nine months in large cement vats. Bottled unfiltered and hazy (as Pipeño has always been), with only a tiny bit of sulfur at bottling and zero other additions — pure, low-intervention Chilean soul.

It pours a lively, pale-to-bright ruby with a touch of cloudiness. The nose is delicate and fragrant: wild cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, violet flowers, a hint of dry grass/herbs, and that classic Itata stony/mineral lift. On the palate it’s light-to-medium bodied, juicy and refreshing, with vibrant acidity, fine silky tannins, and a clean, granite-kissed finish that keeps it energetic and dangerously easy to drink (especially in its generous 1L bottle). Low alcohol, zero heaviness, maximum glou-glou.