If there’s anyone who has got me excited about new vines in Itata, it’s the wines of Pandolfi Price. One of the landmark wineries in Itata for proving the great potential of Chardonnay, and now Pinot Noir, Syrah, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The Pandolfi Price story started in 2002 when the Pandolfi family happened across a Chardonnay vineyard planted in 1992 and made it their goal to make top quality dry-farmed Chardonnay from these relatively new vines.

With the help of winemaker François Massoc, they made this corner of Chillán a little taste of Burgundy in Itata. The Los Patricios Chardonnay is one of the best of Chile, and Larkün is a worthy second line. Today several other varieties have joined the family, but still with the same ethos: human scale, sustainable wines that show the exciting potential of new vines in Itata.

 

About Pandolfi Price winery

Pandolfi Price winery was born in 2002 when the Pandolfi family decided to invest in a Chardonnay vineyard located in Santa Inés, by the south shore of the Larqui River in Itata Valley. Without any previous experience or professional knowledge of wines, they started learning about the Chardonnay and País vines that were already planted and recruited the help of winemaker François Massoc in 2008.

Pandolfi Price produces its wine with minimal intervention and has three main premises: to respect and reflect the place in each of their wines; to make wine that can be part of and a great company for every meal; and finally to make wines that are ageworthy.

Pandolfi Price is part of the Chileno Sur association in southern Chile.

 

About the Pandolfi Price vineyards 

Pandolfi Price has 45 hectares of vineyards located in Santa Inés, in Itata in southern Chile. The cream of the crop goes towards their own lines of wines, but the family is also a key grape grower in the region and sells the remaining grapes to other wineries.

Pandolfi Price has 20 hectares of Chardonnay, 5 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, and half a hectare of Riesling on an alluvial terrace near the Larqui River. These soils are mainly composed of sand, lime and clay, with basalt.

Another 11 hectares of Pinot Noir, 4 hectares of Syrah, and 3 hectares of 120-year-old País are planted on clay and granite soils, which are part of the coastal hills.

Sustainable viticulture at Pandolfi Price

All of the vines are hand-harvested with a focus on sustainable viticulture. The vineyard includes over 16 hectares of ancient forests which are conserved for greater biodiversity and to lower the carbon footprint. The Chardonnay and País vines are dry-farmed, and the other vines use precision technology to conserve and maximise water resources. In 2020 Pandolfi Price also integrated a solar energy plant that harvests 100% of the energy required for the winery. The winery is also in the process of publishing all of its energy output and measuring its carbon footprint, in a bid to show greater transparency and encourage more sustainable practices.

 

 

Pandolfi Price wines

LARKÜN

Larkün is a word in Mapuche that means Larqui River. The Larkün line is a style of wine that is fresh and focused on reflecting the pure expression of the grape variety and the terroir. The wines are aged on their lees for a minimum of 12 months to add complexity and volume in the mouth. Within this range, there is a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

LOS PATRICIOS

Los Patricios is Pandolfi Price’s premium line and the one that really put its Chardonnay on the map. The line is named after Don Patricio Price, this generation’s grandfather, who taught his family about the importance of loving and respecting the terroir. These wines are made with grapes from the best plots within the vineyards and are aged for 22 months in French oak barrels which are carefully selected for each wine. Wines are aged on their lees and the malolactic fermentation happens inside the oak casks. Los Patricios is focused on combining the style and potential of the place with a slow, delicate aging process that results in an elegant, complex, and easy-to-drink wine. Within this line, there is a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir and a newly launched Sauvignon Blanc.

 

About the winemaker, François Massoc

 

François Massoc is a well-travelled winemaker who has studied and worked in Alsace, Bourgogne and Provence in France, in Israel, and in various projects in Chile as a lead winemaker or consultant.

His motto is making wines with minimal intervention: rather than “making wine”, he “goes along and supports” the winemaking process. Nowadays, he is also the owner and technical director for Aristos, Massoc Frères winery and leads the Atelier de Noëlle & Francois Massoc, where he is in charge of the winemaking and consulting.

 

Visiting Pandolfi Price winery

If you wish to visit Pandolfi Price, email the winery and schedule your visit at enzo(@)pandolfiprice.cl 

The winery is open to organizing a personalized visit and tasting, and you can also buy any of their wines in the winery with prior appointment.

 

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Click here to schedule your visit at Pandolfi Price winery!

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