Viñedos de Alcohuaz, Rhu, Elqui Valley, Chile

Alcohuaz is a little village located 2200metres above sea level in the Elqui valley, a valley rich in volcanic soils and rich in granite, a corridor between the cool Pacific of northern Chile and the Andean mountains in the east of the country.

Alvaro and son, Patricio, are the masterminds behind this extraordinary project. However they realised they would benefit from local expert help and called in Juan Luis Huerta and his wife Helia Rojas as well as Chile's most experienced, artisan winemaker, Marcel Retamal.

These remote, idilic vineyards are the sort of place you'd go for a spiritual awakening and Rhu means 'a portal to the spiritual world'. It's mostly Syrah from Alvaro's best parcels blended with a little Garnacha and Petit Syrah to add freshness. Grapes are foot trodden and fermented in stone lagares, 90% whole bunch and using wild yeasts before a basket press and fed by gravity into oak foudres for 32 months without any other additives.

This is a more structured wine than their other blend, Grus with a complex nose, similar to a Northern Rhone with notes of dark plum, black olives and a little meatyness followed by a creaminess on the palate and a distinct volcanic, mineral edge.

Producer - Viñedos de Alcohuaz
Country - Chile
Region - Elqui Valley
Variety / Blend - Syrah, Petite Syrah, Garnacha
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Uncertified Organic/ Biodynamic
Vegan