Laberinto - Sauvignon Blanc Trumao Sur 2020

Dubbed Laberinto for the labyrinth-inspired row plantings in his 23 hectares under vine, Rafael Tirado established the winery in 1993 in the easternmost corner of the Maule Valley, nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, after previously serving as winemaker for several larger Chilean wineries in the Maipo Valley.

At a time when most wineries were focused on Chile’s warmer Central Valleys, Rafael, or Rafa for short, recognized a unique opportunity and purchased land where he had once spent time as a child in the remote town of Colbún. With a landscape dominated by conifer trees and pristine mountain-fed lakes, this cooler continental climate is home to some of the country’s best skiing, mountain biking, and many of its thermal hot springs.

Rafa is widely considered to be of the most seminal figures in the modern history of Chilean winemaking and younger winemakers across South America, from Pedro Parra to Sebastian Zucciardi, mention his name in reverence. An artisan in the time of bulk production. Despite this recognition as both a pioneering winemaker and now consultant, he remains ever humble, with a charming and candid resolve to continue improving his wines each vintage. Producing wines from only his estate vineyards, he farms organically and allows all his ferments to begin with native yeast. After nearly thirty vintages, his wines’ signature balance of acidity and elegance have cemented them as benchmarks within Chile.

"Trumao is the word in the Mapuche language used to designate soils of volcanic origin, which is where this sauvignon is planted, on deep soils with a reasonable amount of organic matter where plant roots can establish themselves and colonize. According to winemaker Rafael Tirado, this type of soil gives the sauvignon mineral notes, and that may be true. This white has lots of ripe white fruit, sharp and persistent acidity, a succulent texture, graphite tones that lend it complexity, and especially, character. A mountain wine that grows beside Lake Colbún, near the foot of the Andes Mountains in the Maule Valley, it was fermented and stored in barrels made of lenga wood, which is native to Tierra del Fuego, in Chile's extreme south. (Jan 2023)” - 95 Points, Descorchados 

"The white 2020 Trumao Sur was produced with Sauvignon Blanc from trumao volcanic ash soils with a south-facing exposition in Colbun, a cool part of Maule. It fermented in lenga wood barrels, where the wine matured for 12 months. It has 13% alcohol with very good freshness and high acidity. It was very closed at first and didn't show any opulence from a warmer and drier year, but with time, it developed some more creamy notes from the wood, which made it a little more exotic, mixing nutty and floral aromas. The palate is austere and mineral, a constant in the whites here, finishing long and very tasty. 3,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2022. Drink: 2022-2030. (4/6/23)” - 94 Points, Wine Advocate 

"(12.5%) This is the second release of Trumao Sur, produced from a sector of the vineyard where the volcanic ash is at its thickest and deepest. Barrel-fermented in Chilean lenga wood, the resulting wine is sappy, perfumed and spicy with racy minerality, chiselled acidity and notes of citrus, nutmeg and pink grapefruit. 2023-2028. (2022)” - 94 Points Tim Atkin, MW

Producer: Laberinto

Country: Chile

Region: Maule Valley

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Maule Valley

Vintage: 2020

Size: 750ml