Región del Maule
Chile
Located between the majestic bounds of the Maule River to the north and the southernmost tip of the region, the VIGNO territory unfolds as a true sanctuary for Carignan vineyards.
Bounded by the Loncomilla River to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, this vast domain houses nearly 19,000 hectares of vineyards, spread across around 1,000 fertile properties. Within this space, Carignan vineyards proudly span 707 hectares, carefully nurtured by approximately 90 dedicated producers.
With a clear commitment to excellence and sustainability, VIGNO continues to set the standard in preserving and promoting winemaking heritage, inviting us to be part of an oenological experience that connects tradition, land, and modernity. Discover and live the Carignan revolution with VIGNO!
MAULE – CHILE
Today, Carignan is on everyone’s lips.
Just a few decades ago, no one gave a dime for Carignan. This Mediterranean-influenced grape variety barely survived in the backyard of Chilean winemaking, abandoned to its fate, unable to lift its ancient heads, diluted among bulk wine and trapped by the mindset of a country that focused its efforts solely on exporting the so-called noble varietals, unaware of the foundational history of wine in Chile, when the Spanish introduced the first vines in the 16th century.
Today, Carignan is on everyone’s lips. This “bastard” grape variety has not only become a media sensation, a trend that is far from fleeting, but it is also one of the most highly regarded Chilean wines by critics worldwide. Its ancient vineyards are fiercely contested by wineries – according to the National Viticultural Census of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), only 858 hectares exist, with just over 700 of them located in the Maule Valley, in stark contrast to the more than 40,000 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon. The price of its grapes has increased tenfold in the past decade, crossing the US$1 per kilo mark; and justice has been done to its history, revaluing a winemaking tradition that spans nearly 500 years.
But how did the Carignan alter its fate to become a banner of Chilean winemaking?
Although the exact history of the arrival of Carignan to the Chilean coast remains mysterious, it is known that it was systematically planted in the Maule Valley after the devastating earthquake of 1939. The person responsible was a French-born figure named Pablo Joublan, who was the director of the Cauquenes Experimental Center of the National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) at the time. He had no doubts. The varieties from southern France, planted head-trained, could yield excellent results under similar conditions of drought and heat. His main goal was to improve the color and quality of the wines made from the foundational País grape, which had been propagated in Chile by Spanish missionaries.
Some old vintages of those early wines, bottled for the first time by the technical team at INIA Cauquenes, are still preserved. However, the modern revival of Chilean Carignan came about through Francisco Gillmore in 1994 and later by Pablo Morandé, who bottled it under the Aventura label from Viña Morandé, introducing 10 varietals that had been unknown in Chile until then. This “adventure” lasted only a few years and turned out to be a commercial failure. The winemaker was always ahead of his time.
In 2001, Odfjell bottled its first Carignan in the Orzada line. Later, in 2006, the winery acquired a 60-hectare plot in the Tres Esquinas area. According to their winemaker, Arnaud Hereu, the owner was tempted by forestry companies, but they were determined to preserve the heritage of the old vines. From then on, new vineyards were added. The Carignan began to breathe more freely, though still under the looming threat of an unrelenting army of pines and eucalyptus trees.
But what attributes does this grape possess to stir such interest?
Pablo Morandé, with his calm and poetic tone, explains it better than anyone:
“It has an impressive color and a wonderful pH of 3.2 after malolactic fermentation. Its youth seems almost eternal. It gives off aromas of wild sour cherries and liquor-filled bonbons. With aging, notes of molasses and boldo appear. It’s a knight in shining armor. With great resolve. When it enters the mouth, it has a bold presence, marked by a beautiful concentration of tannins. It’s a tough, rustic type. Not a noble courtier.”
The Carignan is a knight in shining armor.
From the valleys of Maule to your glass, the Carignan grape in Chile presents itself as an elegant tapestry of fruity and earthy notes, woven with the skill of generations of Chilean winemakers.
This wine, with no name or surname, has transformed into a brand, into a symbol.
Epicienter: Loncomilla
A lot of wine flowed under the bridge, perhaps too much. Meetings and more meetings. Once again at Toro Macho, at Miguel Torres’ restaurant in Santiago, at the Colo Colo in Romeral, at Locos de Asar in Talca. Winemakers and vineyard representatives traveled thousands of kilometers in their trucks, sometimes along rocky roads, but the destination seemed inevitable.
Then, at last, white smoke appeared.
The wines had to be made with at least 85% Carignan, and the entire blend had to come from vines in the Maule region, at least 30 years old, head-trained, and grown under dryland conditions. This ensured the preservation of the wine’s character while opening the door to enhance the area with the introduction of other varietals, even promoting grafting programs on the century-old País vines.
On Thursday, February 25, 2010, at Gillmore, a letter of commitment was signed, and the project would ride forward with renewed energy. However, just two days later, as the toasts were still being celebrated, another brutal earthquake struck: the infamous 27F. Many towns in the area collapsed, including the beloved Sauzal of Renán Cancino. The farmers faced an uncertain harvest, amid the ruins of their wineries, schools, and adobe houses.
The main objective is to preserve the viticultural heritage of Maule.
Carignan conquers London
In May of that same year (2010), journalist Eduardo Brethauer was invited as a member of the Circle of Wine Writers to conduct a master class on Carignan at The London Wine Fair.
Although the funds raised from the event were modest, they were all donated to help those affected by the earthquake. Slowly but surely, the Carignan from the drylands of Maule began to catch the attention of critics, who had long been accustomed to Chile’s commercial wines and blockbuster offerings from Maipo or Colchagua.
Michael Cox, the well-remembered director of Wines of Chile UK—at the time the main destination for Chilean wines—embraced the initiative and promoted it as a unique point of differentiation. Journalists began to write about this new Chilean discovery.
“I’ve spent almost my entire life dismissing Carignan—the workhorse grape of Languedoc—and now I find myself completely enchanted by this Chilean reincarnation,” wrote the British journalist Fiona Beckett after the London tasting.