Kuyen

Vivid ruby. Pure, mineral-driven aromas of raspberry, boysenberry, woodsmoke, Asian spices and violet. Silky, pliant and spicy, accompanied by a restrained sweetness and good verve to its red and dark fruit flavors. The spicy note carries through a long, focused and gently tannic finish. This wine’s balance and purity are impressive.

Opens with an enticing package of cedar, tobacco, herb, leather and black-fruit aromas. The palate has live-wire acidity and overall the wine is bright, piercing and full, with herbal black cherry, cassis and cola flavors. The finish is a little quick and short on flavor but big on texture and tannins. Made from Syrah, Cab Sauvignon and Carmenère.

This is rather direct, with medium-weight plum and currant fruit framed with notes of tobacco and cocoa. There’s a hint of loam on the lightly grippy finish. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère.

This is rather direct, with medium-weight plum and currant fruit framed with notes of tobacco and cocoa. There’s a hint of loam on the lightly grippy finish. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère. Drink now.

From one of the super stars in Chilean winemaking, Alvaro Espinoza, the first to bottle Carménère as a varietal, is now releasing small lots of red blends from his oragnic and biodynamically grown private vineyards. Deep dark opaque purple. Breathtaking aromas of rich blackberry fruit. Dense and chewy on the palate, with gorgeous dusty tannins teasing the tastebuds. Polished and hedonistic.

This blend of 49% Syrah, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Carmenere is the secondary bottling for Antiyal Winery, and their prized “Antiyal” wine. Located on a pristine valley floor at the foot of the Andes Mountains, the Kuyen, which means moon in the indigenous Mapuche language, is concentrated and smooth with loads of dark fruits such as currant, plum, and cherry, with notes of tobacco and some cocoa with a dark violet color. The aromas of leather, pepper, and cherries allude to the well-integrated flavors, exciting complexity, and long finish. Kuyen is aged in French oak barrels then bottled and aged an additional six months in the cellar prior to release. I recommend decanting the Kuyen for an hour or two before drinking to allow the brood flavors to fully express themselves.