Chile: Not Yet Named Wine Company & La Despensa, Sangiovese-Grenache 2023, Colchagua (Organic)

Grape varieties: 75% Sangiovese, 25% Grenache. 14.5% alcohol.

85% destemmed and foot-crushed. 15% whole bunch fermentation, co-fermented, cornas yeast, basket press, 2019 French Oak barrels. 

Drinking well now but I think this will age well for up to 10 years. This is the epitome of small-scale winemaking - crushing grapes by foot, the use of a small manual basket press, while only a few barrels of this wine was produced.

This was made at the La Despensa boutique winery in the Colchagua Valley, around 200km south-west of Santiago. La Despensa is owned, organically-farmed and operated by Matt Ridgway, originally from Dorset, and his Chilean wife Ana.

This is small-scale and old-school: the sort of place that labels and waxes the bottles by hand. They are focused on varieties that you wouldn't typically expect from Chile, evidenced by this wine - there is very little of the Tuscan variety Sangiovese in Chile and not a huge amount more of Grenache.

But these varieties can handle a hot climate and it could be argued, especially given ever-rising temperatures, that these are more suited to modern-day Chile than the ubiquitous Cabernet, Merlot and Carménère that dominate the Chilean wine scene.

I must confess that I find a lot of (but by no means all) Chilean reds while generally well made, rather samey and commercial. But this wine? Unique! I mean, can you think of a wine region that routinely blends Sangiovese with Grenache? No, neither can I. 

Under La Despensa's auspices, this wine was made by Manchester's Alex Brogan and Portugal's Manuel Cerdeira who in 2024 established the 'Not Yet Named Wine Company' with the ambition to partner with quality producers to make wine all over the world. Not Yet Named members vote in real time on each stage of the winemaking process, which the company refers to as "democratic winemaking."

This wine has garnered great reviews from our subscribers. On paper this fascinating blend should show Sangiovese's herbal, savoury bite, while the Grenache adds red fruit, warmth, spice, and supple texture. But I'll let you decide! 

Food Pairing:

Tomato based pasta dishes, pork ribs, red meat, beef empanadas, chorizo and lentil stew, lamb chops with smoked paprika, sausages, charcoal-grilled chicken with herbs, pork belly, aged cheeses. A great BBQ red.