Roberto Henriquez Fundo la Union Cinsault 2021

Grower: Roberto Henriquez
Region: Bío Bío Valley, Sur, Chile
Grape Varieties: 100% Cinsault
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Category: Red
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.

After studying agronomy and enology at the University of Concepción and working at large Chilean wineries, Roberto embarked on a globetrotting winemaking jaunt with stops in Canada, South Africa, and France’s Loire Valley, where leading natural winemaker René Mosse sparked his passion for biodynamic viticulture.

At age 29, Roberto returned to Bio Bío with the mission of rescuing and showcasing some of South America’s oldest vines. These free-standing País vines on the banks of the Biobío River have endured 200–250 years in the southern region’s cool, windy climate.  Henriquez farms all the vineyards himself without herbicides or pesticides, providing no irrigation and adhering to organic and sustainable principles like composting, bio-fertilizers, and water conservation. Yet he’s not just looking to preserve the region’s ancient vines, he wants to preserve its traditional pipeño methods too. That means employing natural winemaking techniques like carbonic maceration, using native yeasts, aging in old Rauli wood barrels, and bottling without filtration or chemicals—all by hand.