Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Vina Gillmore began with a dream. In the late 1980s, Chilean visionary Francisco Gillmore took over operation of the century old Tabontinaja winery and its ancient dry-farmed vineyards planted to the rustic País variety. He took advantage of their healthy, hearty roots and grafted them with fine French varieties.
From the beginning his wines were imbued with the spirit of this unique dry-farmed condition of restriction and resistance in which their rustic personality was expressed with vibrant acidity and tremendous character. The project also includes his daughter, Daniella Gillmore, whose love of the country life guides her in overseeing the vineyards and the collection of native fauna on the farm. Her husband, winemaker Andrés Sánchez, is the talented artisan behind their wines Hacedor de Mundos, Vigno, Mariposa and Cobre, wines crafted to interpret the soul of the sector and its people. Their two children, Martín and Dominga now represent the third generation of the family to stretch their roots deep into the heart of this special zone of Maule.
Vina Gillmore is among the founding members of MOVI (Independent Vintner’s Movement), and Andrés was the driving force behind the recently formed Carignan Club (Vigno).
Maule is the Central Valley’s most southern and coolest zone, reaching a southern latitude of 35°S, yet it is still warmer and drier than Bío-Bío to its south. The Maule Valley enjoys success with a unique set of grapes.
It lays claim to the local variety, Pais (synonymous with Tinta Pais, which is actually Tempranillo), which has dominated much of the region’s area under vine until the recent past. Now many growers, not confined by the tradition and regulations of the Old World, also successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon.
While Maule’s total area under vine remains relatively static, its old Carignan vineyards are undergoing a great revival. The VIGNO (Vignadores del Carignan Vintners) group, an association in charge of promoting this long-forgotten variety, is getting fantastic results from the old vines in its dry-farmed coastal zones.
The Maule includes the subregions of Talca, San Clemente, San Javier, Parral, Linares and Cauquenes.
Responsible for some of the most stunning old vine red wine on the planet, Carignan has an amazing capacity to survive dry, arid climates and still produce lovely, mouthwatering wine. In Spain it goes by the name of Mazuelo or Cariñena and while it may have originated there in the province of Aragón, its popularity lies elsewhere, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon. Somm Secret—Historically Carignan did not enjoy the respect that it does today. In the mid 20th century, Carignan covered nearly 140,000 ha in Algeria, where it was made into low quality bulk and blending wine to supply mass-market demand.