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Bouchon Family Wines winemaker Christian Sepulveda interview on Maule
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Old vines & Maule wine regions: Terroir Talk interview with Bouchon winemaker Christian Sepúlveda

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Have you discovered the old vines and wines of Maule yet? Bouchon Family Wines winemaker Christian Sepúlveda shares a masterclass into Maule wine regions and the incredible diversity of old vines that thrive here, with a special focus on Semillon, País and Carignan.

In this winemaker interview, and part of our Terroir Talk series, one of Chile’s most exciting winemakers of the new generation dives deep into what makes Maule unique and distinctive. Amanda Barnes interviews Christian Sepúlveda about the terroir secrets and old vine treasures in Maule’s diverse regions – from Costa to Entre Cordilleras and Andes. Touching on the importance of the coastal influence and granite concentration in the soils, this is ideal for MW, MS and WSET students!

As a way to explore the wine regions, they taste through three emblematic wines for Bouchon and also for Maule: Bouchon Granito Semillon, Bouchon País Salvaje and Bouchon Vigno Carignan.

 

Interview with winemaker Christian Sepúlveda, Bouchon Family Wines

Wine tasting Bouchon Family Wines Maule

Three incredible and emblematic wines, not only for Bouchon but for Maule. Don’t miss these vinous gems!

Bouchon Family Wines Semillon Maule ChileBouchon Family Wines Semillon Granito

Semillon is a superheroine waiting to be uncovered in Chile… There used to be well over 35,000 hectares planted but today just shy of 800 remains. Bouchon has been one of the key advocates for bringing this incredible variety back into the limelight and Granito Semillon is a shining example of how wonderfully the variety works in South America.

Attractive notes of dried flowers, pear, Meyer lemon and beeswax greet you on the nose while in the palate it sings with a racy acidity, rich weight and textural, long finish. This is a white wine for red wine lovers, and I adore it! One of the best white wines in Chile.

  • Maule Costa, Batuco
  • 100% Semillon
  • Winemaker: Christian Sepúlveda, Bouchon Family Wines
  • Winemaking: Oak fermented (15 – 18C) for 10 days, 12 months aged in French oak.

 

Bouchon Family Wines País Salvaje

Bouchon Pais Salvaje wine from Maule, guide to best wines in MauleThis wine comes with a rather incredible story. Made from very old País vines which grow wild among the trees in the river creek in Bouchon’s Mingre vineyard, the grapes are all harvested by hand and require scaling up ladies and crawling under bushes to reach! The wine is then made in a very simple, artisanal way which reflects the true character of this wild País.

It’s a gloriously fruity and fresh wine with notes of rosehips, wild strawberries and meadow flowers, but in the palate it is actually quite serious with grip, freshness and a long finish. Chile’s answer to a very serious Beaujolais!

  • Maule, Mingre
  • 100% País
  • Winemaker: Christian Sepúlveda, Bouchon Family Wines
  • Winemaking: Fermented with native yeasts

Harvesting the wild vines of Pais for País Salvaje Bouchon Family Wines in Maule

Bouchon Family Wines VIGNO Carignan

Bouchon Vigno Carignan from Maule, tasting notes and winemaker interviewCarignan is undoubtedly one of the stars of Maule’s old bush vines, and VIGNO has really helped put it on the map by establishing an appellation of sorts to protect these old vines and the growers that depend on them. Bouchon Family Wines is part of VIGNO, in fact Julio Bouchon is President of the association, and this wine is an excellent example of the finesse that old vine Carignan can have.

With hypnotic notes of blackcurrant and roses with an undercurrent of earthy, game aromas, this is a complex wine. Even after four years in bottle, the acidity is still really fresh and bright, which perfectly frames the spicy tannins and juicy finish. A wine for rich stews.

  • Maule, Cauquenes
  • 100% Carignan
  • Winemaker: Christian Sepúlveda, Bouchon Family Wines
  • Winemaking: 12 months in large foudre, and at least a year in bottle
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Granito Semillon from Bouchon Family Wines, wine tasting note
SemillonMaule WinesWildFresh

J Bouchon, Granito Semillon

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

More about J Bouchon Granito Semillon

This Granito Semillon comes from an isolated block of old vine Semillon from the coastal region of Maule, where the deep granite soils have been home to these vines for over 80 years. This boutique production of Semillon is made by Bouchon Family Wines and has quickly become an icon of the winery and also helped spark a revival of old vine Semillon in South America. Made with minimal intervention.

More about Bouchon Family Wines

Bouchon Family Wines was established in Maule in 1977 and in recent years has become one of the leaders of pioneering modern Maule wines with respect for the traditional varieties, winemaking methods, dry farming and terroirs of the region.

Read their full winery profile in our winery guide.

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Bouchon winery in Chile wine guide, Bouchon Family Wines in Maule
Featured WineriesFeatured ChileHistoricFamilyMaule WineriesHotel Winery

Bouchon Family Wines

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

One of the most forward-thinking and exciting producers in Maule today, Bouchon Family Wines is a visionary producer run by the second-generation of the Bouchon family. The family has three of their own vineyard estates in Maule and they also work with growers and farmers around Maule and beyond. Labels include J Bouchon, Mingre, Las Mercedes, Granito and País Salvaje.

 

About Bouchon Family Wines

The history of Bouchon Family Wines actually starts much earlier than the foundation of the modern winery in Maule in 1977. “In 1877 my great-grandfather Emile Bouchon, a winemaker, came from St Émilion to Chile,” explains Julio Bouchon Junior. “He started working in a winery just outside of Santiago, before going to work in Colchagua, where he helped establish another winery. The story of Bouchon wines in Maule, though, starts with my father, Julio Bouchon Senior, who studied a winemaking degree in Bordeaux and came back with the idea of starting a premium winery in Maule. He bought our family estate in Mingre in 1977.”

With over 160 hectares planted at three different sites in Maule today, the family winery is firmly established in the heart of Maule and is one of the few family wineries left there that is open to tourism and making premium estate wines. Part of their focus is on old vines and dry-farming in the Secano Interior.

“I think my father was a visionary at the time, because he didn’t know much about the concept of dry farming when he purchased the estate,” explains Julio Jr, “but he was clear about the quality of low yields and the concept of having old vines on granite soil.”

Julio Bouchon Sr, Maria Bouchon, Juan Bouchon, Julio Bouchon Jr: Bouchon Family Wines

This old vine and dry-farming concept is something that the winery embraces firmly today, and the fourth-generation — brothers Julio and Juan, and their sister Maria — have championed a revival of old-vine País and Sémillon wines, as well as continuing to produce the dry-farmed Bordeaux varieties that their father planted. 

Today Bouchon Family Wines includes a range of wine brands and diverse portfolio of wines from Maule, and some from further afield, and the winery is open for visits, tastings and has a boutique wine hotel amongst the vines.

 

About the Vineyards

Vineyards of Bouchon Family Wines including the granite rocks

 

MINGRE VINEYARD, 50 hectares

The original family estate, the Mingre vineyard surrounds the Bouchon winery and is approximately 45 km from the ocean and at an altitude of 192 m.a.s.l. The estate has a combination of dry-farmed vines and about half the estate (mainly their Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties) require some irrigation. The temperate Mediterranean climate in combination with ancient granitic soils has led them to focus mainly on red wine production in the Mingre region. The vineyard has a combination of Bordeaux varieties, Mediterranean varieties, old País vines and Chardonnay.

 

BATUCO VINEYARD, 22 hectares

This coastal estate is just over 25 km from the ocean and has much cooler, maritime influences in combination with dry, sunny days. This is where Bouchon’s renowned old-vine Sémillon (Granito Semillon) comes from and it is also where they grow most of their Sauvignon Blanc and some Chardonnay. It is a dry-farmed vineyard with granite-based soils with sand and silt, and some of the vines are over 80 years old.

 

SANTA ROSA VINEYARD, 90 hectares

The oldest plantations from their Santa Rosa estate date back to the 1950s, and there is a combination of mainly Bordeaux varieties planted here. The estate is much closer to the Maule river and the soils are alluvial in origin with a clay texture with plenty of pebbles and round rocks. The warm, Mediterranean climate allows for full and healthy ripening of a wide range of grape varieties, and the vineyard has drip irrigation installed for dry years.

Bouchon Family wines in Maule, guide to wineries in Maule and wineries in Chile

 

BEYOND

Some of the lines produced by Bouchon work with different growers beyond the family estates, and Julio Bouchon Jr and Christian Sepúlveda are currently developing a special line of wines that celebrates the different growers they work with and guarantees a fair price for their grapes.

 

About Bouchon Wines

Bouchon Family Wines, and the Bouchon family, have several different lines of wines which are made in the winery at the Mingre estate.

Bouchon Family Wines, guide to the Bouchon wines and winery in Maule Chile

 

J BOUCHON WINES

This is the family line of wines that all come from their Maule estate vineyards and was first established by Julio Bouchon Senior. The top wine in J Bouchon is Mingre, a deeply coloured and rich blend from some of their oldest vines of Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. The exciting duo of Granito wines are the other icons of the winery, made from old-vine Sémillon and from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère grown on their most granitic soils. These are wines with energy, verve and tension.

The Block Series is a single plot selection of single variety wines that have been defined for their specific characteristics. Each wine in the series is designed to show the variety in its optimum Maule expression. The Reserva line includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, Malbec, a Carmenère-Syrah blend, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a rosé and is for easy-drinking everyday wines, while their Bouchon Extra Brut is a sparkling wine from Cinsault and Pais. Canto Sur is a juicy Mediterranean-style blend of Carménère, Carignan and País; while Canto Norte is a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Both offer exceptional value and a different side of the coin to Maule blends.

Within the J Bouchon family, Vigno is a special edition of old-vine Carignan which they purchase from a grower in southern Maule, from very old, dry-farmed vines. This racy and floral wine is a delightful addition to the Vigno association.

LAS MERCEDES

Las Mercedes is an innovative line of wines which are the passion project of brother Julio and Juan, who indulge their inner winemakers with playful and adventurous wine styles that are helping to redefine the wines coming from Maule.

An exciting range of wines which includes a skin-contact Sémillon, which spends 12 months on its skins in a large clay amphora, and a Remix red blend of Mediterranean varieties, which spends a year in foudre. The varietal line, Singular, is focused on more extreme expressions of single varieties, and the Singular Sémillon is particularly mouthwatering.

GLUP & LONGAVI WINES

Although technically not part of the stable of Bouchon Family Wines, this is one of Julio Bouchon Jr’s adventures. This time with his winemaker friend from South Africa, David Nieuwoudt. What started with an intense coastal Sauvignon Blanc from Leyda, now also embraces a rich Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, a red blend from Maule (the icon of the range, Mabo), and a handful of old-vine wines that come under the cheery label of Glup! And glup you will… the juicy Cinsault from Itata, fine and spicy País from Bío Bío and mouthwatering Chenin Blanc from Colchagua are wines that will disappear within moments of opening.

PAÍS SALVAJE

When the former winemaker Felipe Ramírez and Julio Bouchon Jr decided to make a wine from some wild vines of País that were growing in a tree on their estate, they had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. Their first vintage in 2015, which they decided to harvest by hand (there’s no option when you have to climb ladders up a tree!), destem using a traditional zaranda and ferment with native yeasts, was a huge hit and has been sold out on allocation ever since.

Today the portfolio also includes a white País Salvaje and a País Viejo, which also celebrate the unique character and easy-drinking nature of Chile’s most historic grape.

Pais Salvaje, wild pais from the vineyards

Interestingly, Bouchon Family Wines are now planting new vines of País, perhaps one of the only wineries to be doing some in Chile. “We feel like have to get to know young País vines, in order to really understand our old País vines,” explains Julio Bouchon Jr. “We want to get to know the variety throughout its lifespan to be able to produce the most authentic País wines we can.”

MORE INFORMATION ON PAIS SALVAJE

 

CONVENTO VIEJO

Convento Viejo is a reserve line of wines which includes four single varietal wines, made from their estate in Maule. It consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, these being the varieties that Julio Bouchon Senior first brought to his Maule estate when he grafted vines onto the old Pais vines in the late 70s.

 

About the Winemaker: Christian Sepúlveda

Christian Sepulveda winemaker at Bouchon Family WinesWhile Julio Bouchon Senior and Julio Bouchon Junior both continue to get involved in the winemaking at Bouchon Family Wines, the Head Winemaker is one of Chile’s most promising winemakers of this generation — Christian Sepúlveda. 

Following several years specialising in the cool climate coastal wine region of Limarí with Tabalí winery, and vintages at Comte Armand in Burgundy and Felton Road Wines in New Zealand, Christian joined Bouchon Family Wines in 2015.

He is particularly interested in making wines with a focus on micro-terroir and minimum intervention, as well as working closely with growers and in the vineyards.

 

Visiting Bouchon Family Wines & Casa Bouchon

Bouchon winery is available to visit for wine tastings and tours of the vineyard and cellar every day of the week, with previous reservation. There are two types of tours available: the Mingre Tour, which includes a vineyard tour, visit to the cellar, and a wine tasting of the reserve line wines paired with Chilean light bites; or the Discovery Tour, which also includes a vineyard and cellar tour, and a shorter wine tasting with varietal wines.

Bouchon winery hotel, Casa Bouchon, in the vineyards of Maule. Where to stay in Maule.

To get a feel for Maule and Chile’s Secano Interior, you really ought to stay the night — and fortunately, the boutique wine hotel Casa Bouchon is just the ticket! Located in the beautiful old estancia home, which is over 150 years old, there are five double rooms available, each with modern comforts and traditional hacienda-style design. Thick adobe walls keep temperatures cool and peacefully silent, and the 15-foot high ceiling gives you ample space and light. 

At Casa Bouchon, guests are treated to full board with breakfast, lunch and dinner coming from the home kitchen serving typical Chilean cuisine. There is also an honesty bar, plus bikes, horseback riding and plenty of excellent hiking options in the area. The highlight of any stay at Casa Bouchon though is enjoying the open-air swimming pool by day and the massive hot tub by night, which is an upcycled old wine barrel! Ideal to enjoy with a glass of wine in hand while watching the multitude of stars come out.

Reserve your tour or overnight stay by email: [email protected] or call +56 9 7477 4878.

South America Wine Guide videos from Bouchon & Maule

Recorded in 2015, following the first vintage of Pais Salvaje (thankfully our sound quality has somewhat improved since then… )

More articles related to Bouchon Family Wines
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Chile FeaturesChileFeaturesVideosMaule VideosMaule

Pais wine in Maule

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

What is the secret to old vines? Have you heard of Chile’s Pais grape variety? Wine writer Amanda Barnes visits J Bouchon with owner Julio Bouchon and winemaker Felipe Ramirez to discover Chile’s oldest variety – Pais – and how to make a wild and natural red wine from vines that are over 100 years old in Maule, southern Chile, and others that grow wild in the trees! Check out our video interview about the making of Bouchon País Salvaje in Maule!

Recorded in 2015, just after the first vintage of País Salvaje

Interview on País and País Salvaje with Julio Bouchon and Felipe Ramirez at Bouchon Family Wines

Amanda: I’m here with Felipe and Julio from Bouchon Family Wines, and we’re in the middle of Maule. Can you tell us what this big, fat vine is?

Felipe: This is one of the oldest varieties that you can find in Chile. It is called País.

And what is País, for someone that’s never had a Pais wine before?

Julio: Pais is the variety that the Spanish brought from the colony for religious purposes. So that’s why it is very old. And they arrived in the Maule region at that time.

Super, so how old would this one be, for example?

F: It must be more than 100 years old.

And what happens to a vine when it is old? How are old vines different to young vines?

F: Well, vines are like people! When it is old, it starts to give you the best – to give you more concentrated and balanced grapes. So you can make more concentrated and balanced wines.

So what does Pais taste like? How would you describe your old vine Pais wine?

J: Pais is very rustic. It’s very funky, it does not have a deep colour, but the tannins are sharp. So it gives a lot of energy to the wine, if it’s in a blend or if it’s 100% Pais.

So these are all your Pais vines here, old vines in this VSP form, but you also have a País Salvaje! Do you want to show us your Pais Salvaje?

J: So here we have the creek, coming through the natural forest, down to the valley. And in between these native trees we have the Pais vines growing up through the trees in a natural way. So in the spring, or the summer, you find the bunches hanging out over all these trees. In a completely natural [uncontrolled] way.

So this was the first year that you vinified these vines, and it is difficult to see in the winter, but they are here between the trees. What is the difference between the quality of the grapes, or the characteristics that you find from Pais grapes that grow wild in the trees, compared to old vines of Pais here on the flat valley floor?

F: Well, to vinify in this way was completely new for all of us. So at the beginning, we thought ‘well, let’s try and we will see!’ And then we realised that we could get very good quality, very good colour, very fine aromas, and we decided to make the wines in a more traditional way.

I think that you can make very good wines in that way. In a small production, of course. So finally, we realised right now that the wine was pretty good with very good and fine aromas.

And how do you think this Pais got here, in the forest?

J: Well, in a natural way too – you have birds bringing seeds to here. And here there is a creek too which has water during the spring, in the summer it is dry but during the spring there is flowing water. So the soil, the water and the seeds all mix and in the end you can get some plants!

F: It’s called Pais Salvaje. From Bouchon!

 

Read more about Bouchon Family Wines and see their own videos of the making of Pais Salvaje!

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