Matetic is a Biodynamic winery in the San Antonio Valley of Chile. It was founded in 1999 by the Matetic family. They first arrived in Chile in 1892 from Rijeka (in what is now Croatia).
Contact: Jorge Matetic Hartard (President).
VIineyards: 2016 160 hectares (395 acres) of vines. There are two vineyard areas, both in the El Rosario Valley of Chile’s Coastal Range (Cordillera de la Costa). The original vineyards were planted from 1999 near the winery on decomposed granite with some clay and volcanic loam. The other is on deep granite, just miles (13km) from the Pacific. Syrah clones are 174 (aromatic, spicy) and 470 (mouthfeel, structure).
Certification: 2004 First vintage with full organic status. 2013 Full Demeter Biodynamic certification (for the vines, not for the wines) for the first time.
Wines – Sparkling
Matetic Coastal Brut: Traditional method. From Rosario Valley Chardonnay (west-facing slope over deep granitic clay), and Pinot Noir (decomposed granite, sandy texture, quartz and volcanic tuff). Cool SW winds from the Pacific.
Wines – Corralillo Range
Corralillo is the name of an old wine cellar in El Rosario Valley, in which wines from the País grape were once made. Corralillo comes from the Spanish word “corral” (farmyard).
Chardonnay, Corralillo From vineyards in the Rosario Valley. Marine climate. The predominant soils are of granitic origin in various stages of decomposition, some with a high proportion of quartz and other high in decomposed materials of granite origin.
Gewürztraminer Corralillo: Gewürztraminer in the lower part of a gentle slope, on deep, mainly granitic soils, in one of the coldest parts of the estate. Slow ripening, aromatic expression.
Sauvignon Blanc Corralillo: From 3 clones of Sauvignon Blanc: 242, Davis 1 and 107. San Antonio Valley. Decomposed granite and quartz soils.
Riesling, Corralillo: From Santo Tomas, an estate vineyard in the Lagunillas area of Casablanca Valley. Marine influence. The predominant soils are of granitic origin in various stages of decomposition, clays and good drainage.
Carmenere, Corralillo: 2014 From Apalta, Colchagua Valley, from vineyards located in hillsides with great solar exposition. The soils are mainly granitic, of colluvial origin, with low fertility, excellent drainage and high complexity in terms of clays, silt and organic matter presence. The vineyard is managed under biodynamic farming principles.
Pinot Noir, Corralillo: Pinot Noir grapes are sourced from the estate’s own biodynamically grown vineyards from El Rosario Valley. Located on slopes with excellent sun exposure, the predominant soils are of granitic origin in various stages of decomposition with quartz rocks, low fertility and good drainage. 15% of the grapes come from the Valle Hermoso area, 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the sea. The predominant climate – marked by maritime influence – gives unique typicity and variety expression. Both Pinot Noir clones, 777 and 115, are single cane-pruned, to encourage a balanced canopy growth, ensuring proper maturity and varietal character.
Winemaker’s’s Blend, Coralillo: From older vines grown in El Rosario. 2013 24% Cabernet Franc, 16% Malbec, 60% Syrah.
Riesling wines
Riesling Santo Tomas Vineyard: 2015 Nice and crisp at M Bio 2016.
EQ Range
EQ Sauvignon Blanc 2015: From different areas of the El Rosario Valley, near Matetic winery. Sauvignon Blanc clone 242. Granitic soils with high proportion of quartz and some volcanic materials, porous volcanic soils.
EQ Chardonnay: Estate grapes, Rosario Valley. The soil consists of granitic sand texture and clay on the slopes, with good porosity when the soils deepen. Each vineyard and selection of clones (95, 76 and 130) experience varying degrees of sun exposure. Yields of around 1,5 kilos per plant.
EQ Coastel Sauvignon Blanc: 2015 Lime flavours at Millésime Bio 2016.
EQ Pinot Noir: From estate vineyards in the Casablanca Valley, 6 miles (10 kms) from the Pacific Ocean. Constant coastal breezes. Soils consist of granite and mica. Clones 777 and 115. | 2004 Nice clear style nose, red and black cherries, inviting, some French style complexity, wood comes through on palate, bit green from the wood, shame as the nose was inviting at the winery on Monday 7th November 2005. Fruit goes into cold store all night, destem or whole bunch, then by gravity to tank for cold maceration of 5-7 days, fermented in open top fermenters, punch down during the aggressive phase, then switch to pump over, after fermentation no maceration and directly into barrels for 11 months. 40% new wood programme. Sells for $22-25 retail in the US. Ken Barnards has helped in the programme for oak ie choice of wood, trying to work with French companies or sister companies of French producers. Using 228 litre casks. Tried a couple of big barrels but were not too excited about that. Egg white fined (fresh eggs, not albumin) after blending, then if nec use lenticular filter than is very gentle. | 2005 Rodrigo Soto wrote this to me in June 2007: “For me the best Matetic Wine I made was the 2005 Pinot Noir. Cooler year and that let us take a good harvest decision, also the vines were a bit more mature, the same as the winemaker. The level of extraction was a bit lower, meaning a much gentler process in order to preserve more the aromas and a good interaction of tannins and acid, giving a velvety texture from an early stage of aging process. I think that little by little we start understanding the site, dissecting the vineyard in many different sections and farming and harvesting them individually give us the chance to deeply explore our reality and understand the real potential of that area. Working with good clonal selections was a big advantage and definitely help us understand better what we were doing. And also with some better winemaking experience we definitely interpret at that harvest better than the previous years.” | 2007 14.5% Nice ripe, dense fruit if a bit astringent oak-wise at the SITT tasting, Vinopolis 25 Feb 2009.
EQ Syrah: Biodynamic estate-grown Syrah. Clones are 174, 300 and 470. El Rosario Valley. Granitic soil. The flat plains have deep layers formed by the accumulation of fragmental material and decomposed granite. The slopes show high presence of quartz and granite in various stages of decomposition. Both areas evidence large amount of roots distributed throughout the soil, so the vines are managed mainly without irrigation throughout the growing season. This vigorous grapevine requires more labor for canopy management to express them in a balanced manner. | 2004 Egg white fined with fresh eggs (not powdered albumin) after blending, then if necessary filtered using a lenticular filter which is very gentle. Nice thick wild nose, quite a bit of oak there again, but lush and inviting, quite a bit of wood again on palate, but nice weight in the mouth and young so give it time, wood seems better integrated than in the PN at this stage at the winery on Monday 7th November 2005. | 2006 Decent weight with smoky oak at the SITT tasting, Vinopolis 25 Feb 2009. 2012 Nice, rich, smoky at Millésime Bio 2016.
Wine – Matetic Range
Matetic Syrah: 2012 From two areas of El Rosario Valley. From deep granite on a flat plain, and from decomposed granite with some clay and volcanic loam. Clone 174 (spice, aromas) and 470 (mouthfeel, structure). Destemmed, cold soak. 22 months in French oak barrels. Unfiltered.
Contact
Agricola Ceres Ltda
Matetic Vineyards
Hernando de Aguirre 414
Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Website: www.mateticvineyards.com