2023 Laberinto - Mezcla Tinta Cenizas (750ml)
Rafael Tirado, one of ten children who spent decades making wine on several continents and consulting for mid-sized wineries across Chile, eventually settled on a plot in the eastern Maule Valley to build something entirely his own. In 1993 he planted his first vines there, on volcanic ash over granite in the front range of the Andes, arranging many of the rows in winding patterns that echo the labyrinth for which the estate is named. Today his property sits within the small ColbĂșn appellation, where he remains essentially the only estate producer, farming organically from a small, gravity fed winery he built by hand on the shores of Lake ColbĂșn.
Mezcla Tinta comes from the warmest, north facing slopes of that same vineyard, overlooking the lake, where Tirado grows a Bordeaux style blend of roughly half Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc filling out the rest. The grapes macerate on their skins for over three weeks to build color and tannin, then the wine ages for around a year in used four hundred liter French oak barrels, a process that lets the fruit stay forward without picking up heavy oak character.
The wine is deep ruby in color, full bodied and generous with ripe black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and cassis. Eucalyptus and violet notes lift the nose, leading into a smooth, structured finish with subtle oak and firm grip. It pairs well with grilled ribeye, aged hard cheese, or roasted wild game.