Clos des Fous

Camino Parral Cauquenes km 3

+56998950817

Visits on appointment

Itata Valley

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.

About Clos des Fous winery

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 is part of the Chileno Sur association in southern Chile.

About the Clos des Fous vineyards

Clos des Fous owns and manages vineyards in Aconcagua Costa, Alto Cahapoal, and Malleco.

PUCALAN VINEYARD

This vineyard of 4 hectares is located in Aconcagua Costa and it was one of the first Pinot Noir vineyards designed and planted in Chile by Pedro Parra in 2007. The soils of the vineyard are complex, with a very ancient parental material of the Paleozoic area (over 350 million years). This deposit corresponds to marine sand which sedimented and turned into hard rock.

GRILLOS CANTORES VINEYARD

This vineyard of 22 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon is located in Alto Cachapoal and belongs to Clos de Fous since 2010. The vineyard has been divided into four micro terroirs based on the gravel percentage of the soil and the fertility of the clay found in the gravel. The wine Grillos Cantores corresponds to the blend of these micro terroirs.

LATUFFA VINEYARD

This vineyard was planted in 2010 and is located in Malleco. It has 6 hectares of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling vines, and it is dry-farmed and biodynamic. The focus of the wines from this vineyard is very much on the cool climate expression of the region and racy acidity.

Clos des Fous buys grapes from vineyards in Cauquenes, with old vines of País and Carignan, in Guarilihue (Itata), with old vines of Corinto, Cinsault and País, and in Florida (Itata), with vines of Cinsault.

Clos des Fous wines

PMG

These wines are aged for 1 year in concrete and stainless steel. Within this line, there is a Pinot Noir, Riesling, and a blend from Cinsault, País and Carignan, each of which offer great introductions to the different varieties and regions of Chile.

GRILLOS – SUBSOLLUM – CAUQUENINA

The Grillos, Subsollum and Cauquenina wines are aged on their lees for 18 months in cement vats. Subsollum is a fragrant and textural Pinot Noir from Aconcagua Costa; Grillos is an aromatic and juicy Cabernet Sauvignon from Alto Cachapoal; and Cauquenina is blend of varieties typical in Maule – Carignan, País, Portugais Bleu, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Malbec and Cinsault!

PUCALAN – WURM – TOCAO – LATUFFA – DULCINEA – FELICIA

These wines are aged in French oak and foudres for 18 to 24 months, and are the top of the line for Clos de Fous. Locura is a complex Chardonnay from Itata; Latuffa is a racy Riesling from Malleco as is Felicia, while Dulcinea is a cool climate Chardonnay from Malleco; Pucalan Arenaria is a single vineyard Pinot Noir from Aconcagua Costa; Würm is a high altitude Cabernet Sauvignon from the Andes; and Tocao is an old vine Malbec from Bio Bio.

About the winemaker, Felipe Cartes

Felipe is an agronomist and enologist from Universidad de Chile and is the winemaker at Clos des Fous since 2020.

Prior to Clos des Fous, he worked at several wineries in Chile, such as De Martino, Tabalí, and Viña Morande, and Spain, with the renowned Descendiente de J. Palacios in Bierzo.

He focuses on the work done at the vineyards, especially during the harvest date, and makes his wine with minimal intervention, long fermentations with native yeast, very soft pressings, aging on lees, and minimal pumping of the wine.