Clos de Luz Azuda Syrah

HISTORY OF ALMAHUE
Almahue is a small valley in the province of Cachapoal with only 360 hectares of vineyards. In the area of "Almahue Viejo" you can find an important part of the oldest vineyards in Chile and only 10 main vineyards in the area. In Almahue it is possible to find vineyards of more than 70 years old of Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.
The history of viticulture in Almahue dates back to the times of Spanish colonisation (17th and 17th century). Faced with the limitations of that time, in 1933 the
Azuda Wheels.
These structures allowed for a unique irrigation system that allowed the development of "Modern Viticulture" and the introduction of new French varieties such as
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chilean Merlot (later found to be Carménère). These Azuda wheels are today heritage of the Valley and were declared a national monument in 1998.
"AZUDA" is therefore a recognition of Almahue's famous water wheels, which are our inspiration for the creation of new wines from non-traditional Almahue Valley grape varieties, combining innovation and creativity.
In 2005, we carried out a soil study of the steepest and highest hills in the Almahue valley. We found some sectors with a large component of granitic soils and designed small blocks that were planted with Mediterranean varieties such as Syrah and Garnacha.

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE CLIMATE OF THE ALMAHUE VALLEY
The Almahue Valley is located 113 km southeast of Santiago, 65 km from the Pacific Ocean and 45 km from the Andes Mountains. Rainfall is concentrated during the winter, averaging more than 550 mm. During the months of October to April, temperatures are warm, with no rain.
In this valley there are usually cool breezes in the afternoons and cooler temperatures at night. There is also a wide temperature fluctuation between day and night, which is a key factor in colour concentration and tannin quality. Slow ripening allows the grapes to reach the ideal maturity, to preserve the fruit character and natural acidity, which ensure good ageing potential.
The Valley has a mountainous topography of volcanic origin, with granitic rocks in varying degrees of decomposition, with elements of quartz and iron oxide. In the lower areas there is a strong fragmentation of the rocks, which finally results in soils formed by thin layers of clays and silts that descend by gravity from the mountains.

WINEMAKING:
The main element of the Azuda line of wines is to show the quality potential of new non-traditional varieties from the Almahue Valley (Garnacha and Syrah). Through these wines we want to challenge tradition, surprising with fresher wines, taking risks and with a lot of personality.
Our philosophy is also based on respecting the original characteristics of the vines through the use of natural production processes, with minimal intervention.
Our key points for production are: An earlier harvest (March 3rd) and 100% in manual form, in small 14 kg cases. Fermentation in 4,000 litre Italian Gamba foudre and 1,800 litre concrete vats with native yeasts. Once the alcoholic fermentation is finished, the wine is devatted and transferred directly to barrels.
Azuda wine is not corrected with any chemical products, except for low doses of sulphur prior to bottling.
The wine is not stabilised either, so it may have some deposits in the bottle that do not alter its quality.

GUARD
The 50% of the wine is aged in 300 litre French oak barrels of various uses, a 6% in new 500 litre Sylvain barrels and from this year, the remaining 44%.
The wine is aged in 800 litre clay amphorae in order to give the wine greater strength and minerality, highlighting the fruit of Almahue.