Cinsault, Pedro Parra 'Imaginador'

Cinsault is one of those grape varieties whose impact tends to be far greater than its less-than-famous reputation might imply. Its most well-known use is as a blending grape in red wines because of its lower tannins and lifted aromatics, or as a sole variety for rosé. This is why it’s so special to see Pedro showcase it on its own. Cinsault boasts red berry and cherry notes, as well as hints of minerality and flowers that can run the gamut from roses to violets. With vineyards benefitting from the cooling Pacific Ocean and the cool winds coming off the Andes, where Bordeaux grape varieties were once the main focus of Chile, they are now re-discovering old plantings of Carignan and Cinsault. 

The 2021 Imaginador was produced with Cinsault from five vineyards on granite soils in Guarilihue. It fermented with 100% full clusters and indigenous yeasts at low temperatures for 15 days, with 12 days of maceration, and matured in oak and concrete vats for 11 months. They are all pale, there's no extraction, no pigeage [aka press down or the process of breaking up the layer of skins, stems, and seeds that forms at the surface of fermenting red wine, and submerging it during fermentation to extract color, tannins, flavor, and aromas from the grape solids], no remontage [aka punch down or the process of submerging the skins so that carbon dioxide is pushed to the surface of the must and released], only the cap gets wet, and the result is stunning. The palate is light to medium-bodied, the tannins are super fine and the wine is ethereal, elegant, tasty and long, clean and pure.