2025 Laberinto - Sauvignon Blanc Cenizas (750ml)

Laberinto is the project of Rafael Tirado, a Chilean winemaker who spent the 1980s and 90s helping build the reputation of the country's red wines before setting off to found something entirely his own. In 1993 he purchased land in the eastern Maule Valley, on the front range of the Andes near Lago Colbún, in a spot with no history of viticulture at all. He planted the estate's first vines himself, laying some rows out in the shape of a labyrinth, the inspiration for the winery's name. Today Laberinto farms several parcels organically across the Colbún D.O., where Tirado remains the appellation's sole producer, working from a small gravity-fed winery built on the property.

Cenizas draws its name from the volcanic ash, or "cenizas," that dominates the soil of this single estate vineyard, planted over a granite base at roughly 1,800 feet of elevation. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are hand harvested and briefly macerated in the press before fermentation, then aged entirely in stainless steel tank on lees for extended lees contact, with no oak influence and no filtration prior to bottling. This hands-off approach lets the site's volcanic character come through clearly in the finished wine.

The nose opens with guava, passion fruit, and lemon, giving way to a mineral mid-palate lined with crushed rock and chalky texture. Bright acidity keeps the wine taut and refreshing, while the volcanic soils lend a long, saline finish. It is a versatile pour with raw oysters or other shellfish, grilled white fish, or a green salad with citrus vinaigrette.