Pedro Parra y Familia is the boutique, family winery of renowned terroir expert Pedro Parra, focusing on an artisanal production of natural wines made from old vines of Pais and Cinsault in Itata and Bio Bio. Native yeast and low intervention is Pedro’s style and the wines include a Pais, six Cinsault wines (from different granite soils) and a blend of both varieties.
See also: Altos Las Hormigas, Aristos, Clos des Fous
The terroir-driven wines of Clos de Fous may be named ‘Clos of Fools’ but this is actually a very smart set up focusing on making distinctive wines on some of Chile’s most interesting vineyard soils. The Clos des Fous winery is in Maule but the wines are made from grapes sourced in several different terroirs including Malleco, Itata, Bio Bio, Aconcagua Costa and Cachapoal. Soil specialist Pedro Parra and Burgundy-trained winemaker François Massoc are behind the location hunting for Clos des Fous, along with other founders Albert Cussen and Paco Leyton, and winemaker Felipe Cartes.
Clos des Fous started in 2009 by partners Francois Massoc, Pedro Parra, Albert Cussen and Paco Leyton. The four of them wanted to show the world the great diversity of soils and climate that exists in Chile and try to change the idea that Chilean wine was industrial and standardized.
They decided to go against what was customary (i.e. making wine in warm and sunny regions) and looked for cooler and rainy places in the south of Chile, on the Andes Mountains, and at higher altitudes. Today they practice dry-farming and make wine from some of the oldest vines in Chile as well as pioneering new regions.
They got the name “Fous” because they were called “crazy” and were told that grapes would not ripen on such extreme terroir.
Clos des Fous
Aristos is a boutique project created by Chilean winemaker Francois Massoc, Chilean terroir expert Pedro Parra and French wine royalty Louis-Michel Liger-Belair from Burgundy of Vosne-Romanée fame. Unsurprisingly, the wines are strictly premium and the focus is on making Chile’s top expression of Cabernet Sauvignon and of Chardonnay.
There are just two releases today but the trio are constantly experimenting with other vineyards around the Chile to find the optimum expression of other varieties too.
The winery is not open to the public and wines are on allocation only.