From the atlas
Longaví
Longaví makes southern Chilean wines from bush vine and dry farmed vineyards, with minimal intervention and a cellar in San Javier.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Region | Southern Chile |
| Winemaking location | San Javier |
| Range | Cementerio Chenin Blanc and Glup wines spanning País, Cinsault, Chenin Blanc, Naranjo and Rosado |
| Defining practice | Bush vine and dry farmed vineyards, with minimal intervention in the winery |
The Producer
At the historic Bouchon family estate in San Javier, Longaví makes wines from southern Chilean grapes. Juan Bouchon and Chilean winemaker Christian Sepúlveda later joined the project. Sepúlveda studied at Universidad Mayor and holds a master's degree in Oenology and Viticulture from the University of Chile.
The named wines include Cementerio, a Chenin Blanc, and Glup, a range built around heritage varieties and minimal intervention. The grapes come from vineyards where bush vines and dry farming remain part of the work.
Place
Longaví's interior drylands lie in the foothills of Chile's Coastal Mountain Range. The vines depend solely on rainwater stored in the soil, while southern Chilean sources still include old vine, dry farmed vineyards.
The wines are made in San Javier at the Bouchon family estate. The grape supply therefore connects southern Chilean drylands with a fixed cellar location in the Maule area.
Soil And Site
Ancient decomposed granite soils encourage deep roots and help the vines reach water held in the soil. Longaví uses grapes from bush vine and dry farmed vineyards that it knows intimately and manages sustainably.
Story
The next stage of Longaví's work brought in family and cellar experience. Juan Bouchon, Julio Bouchon's younger brother, and Christian Sepúlveda joined the project. Sepúlveda's training includes Universidad Mayor and a master's degree in Oenology and Viticulture from the University of Chile. Longaví's stated ambition is to create great wines using native grapes.
Vineyards And Cellar
Longaví works with grapes from bush vine and dry farmed vineyards, then practices minimal intervention with the must, combining traditional techniques with innovation. Must is freshly pressed grape material before fermentation, so minimal intervention leaves fewer cellar manipulations between pressing and fermentation.
The winery is an early 20th century building with traditional adobe walls. In the aging room, clay floors and airflow regulate temperature and humidity naturally. Depending on the intended style, wines mature in 225 or 500 litre French oak barrels, 2,500 litre French oak foudres, or 18,500 litre concrete vats.
Wines
Cementerio is the Chenin Blanc wine in the range. Glup covers País, Cinsault, Chenin Blanc, Naranjo and Rosado, giving the producer a group of bottles built around heritage varieties and low intervention.
Glup Rosado blends Garnacha, Mourvèdre and País. Its fresh fruit and violet aromas lead to a rich palate texture, placing it alongside the red, white and orange styles within the wider Glup range.
In The Glass
Glup Cinsault is fine textured, with cherry, berry, sour cherry and plum fruit, slight saltiness and a grainy texture.
Glup Chenin Blanc 2020 was fermented on skins in a 700 litre amphora, then aged off the skins for six months in the same vessel. It combines bright lemon and pear fruit with strong acidity, fine grained stony texture and a hint of mint on the finish.
Glup Rosado brings fresh fruit and violet aromas with a rich texture on the palate. The blend of Garnacha, Mourvèdre and País gives the wine its documented grape composition and style.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Cementerio first. It is Chenin Blanc from a 1.2 hectare bush planted vineyard in the Maule Valley, planted in 1940, with the Chenin Blanc grafted onto País rootstock. The wine is pressed as whole clusters, fermented in barrels with native yeast and no added sulfur, then aged for 12 months on its lees in fourth and fifth use 400 litre French oak barrels. Lees are the spent yeast cells left after fermentation, and ageing on them keeps the wine in contact with those solids. Cementerio puts the grape, vineyard, grafting, fermentation and ageing method in one bottle.
Anecdote
In 2012, Chilean Julio Bouchon and South African David Nieuwoudt decided to embark on a joint project across continents. Julio represented the fourth generation of a Chilean winemaking family. David owned Cederberg Private Cellar in South Africa. Longaví began with a family winemaker from Chile and a South African winery owner joining forces across continents.
Final Word
Longaví joins rain dependent dryland vineyards, an ambition to work with native grapes, and a San Javier adobe cellar using barrels, foudres and concrete vats.
Sources
- https://longaviwines.cl/historia
- https://longaviwines.cl/secano
- https://longaviwines.cl/filosofia
- https://longaviwines.cl/bodega
- https://longaviwines.cl/enologo
- https://wineanorak.com/2021/02/27/longavis-glup-superb-wines-from-the-south-of-chile/
- https://longaviwines.cl/vinos