Syrah “TH” Valle de Leyda 2021 – Undurraga

The grapes to produce Syrah “TH” Valle de Leyda Undurraga were hand-picked and rigorously selected to ensure that only healthy, ripe berries were vinified. After crushing, the Syrah “TH” Valle de Leyda Undurraga grapes were cold macerated at 6°C, under anaerobic conditions for six days in a stainless steel tank. Fermentation took place with natural yeasts at 27 to 28°C for 20 days with three daily pump-overs. 15% was whole bunch fermented, i.e. with its stalks, to achieve greater aromatic complexity and structure. The wine remained in contact with the lees and skins for 14 days in order to further enhance its structure. It was aged in 500 litre French oak foudres for 12 months, where it underwent malolactic conversion.

Located to the west of the coastal mountain range, the Leyda Valley has gently rolling hills, exposing the vines to varying levels of sunlight and drainage profiles. The soils are developed from granite rock on the coastal batholith formed 200 million years ago in the Jurassic period. For this wine, the grapes were selected from a small plot of Syrah grown in finely textured soils. The top layer is shallow loamy clay with poor fertility, followed by a sedimentary ‘crack’ clay profile. The subsoil is decomposed granite rock with a diverse mineral structure. The plot is densely planted with 10,000 vines per hectare of French Clones 174 and 470 on a northfacing slope exposed to the sun. The yield was two kilograms per plant, which favours the concentration necessary to achieve a wine with great richness.