Roberto Henriquez, Pais Franco 2022

Producer: Roberto Henriquez
Region: Bío Bío Valley, Itata, Chile
Varietals: 100% Pais
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Category: Red Wine
Size: 750ml

The Bío Bío Valley is one of Chile’s most historic—and extreme—wine regions, and Roberto Henriquez is in the vanguard of its quality-focused producers. At his self-named winery, he preserves the region’s winemaking traditions and native varieties with light-bodied, refined, site-specific wines from ancient vineyards.  A native of Concepción, Roberto – largely inspired by his Uncle – has always dreamed of making wine. He studied to be an Agronomist and Enologist, then worked for  wineries in Chile, South Africa and Canada. Returning to Chile, Roberto spent some time with local wine producers, and this experience – along with working with producers such as Mosse in France (Loire), was very important to him. The Bio-Bio region (close to where Roberto was born) is, in his view, the most unspoilt place to make wine in Chile.

These ancient, own-rooted País vines are located 800 meters from the Bío Bío River in a dry riverbed that once held the river. The soil is particularly unique, featuring an alluvial top layer over black, sandy basaltic soils. This is “País Franco”—a nod to piè franco, meaning the vines are ungrafted, like most of Henriquez’s plantings. The name also highlights how this cuvée represents one of the most honest, pure, and expressive interpretations of the variety available.