Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2023 Cacique Maravilla 'Chacoli Negro'
Yumbel, in the Bío-Bío Valley in Southern Chile.
Bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without disgorgement, it bursts with a lively ruby fizz. Brimming with black cherry and pomegranate, it’s perfect for charcuterie or spicy tacos. This bone-dry, vibrant wine delivers medium acidity, soft tannins, and a mineral finish, embodying Chile’s natural wine spirit with explosive charm.
Owner & winemaker: Manuel Moraga Gutierrez
Vineyard area: 16 hectares of vines on volcanic soils — part of Manuel’s sprawling 80 hectare farm, where the climate is excellent for growing fruit and vegetables thanks to hot days and cool, dry nights. The farm is covered in fruit and nut trees: almond, walnut, orange, fig, cherry, apple, apricot, pear, peach, and more; there are abundant vegetable gardens, as well as chickens and cattle on the farm.
Vineyard management: Dry-farmed, minimally pruned, and grown organically — some of his pre-phylloxera vines are over 250 years old!
Soils: Volcanic, extremely fertile
Winemaking: Hand-harvest only, with red grapes de-stemmed using a zaranda (a traditional bamboo screen), and fermented on indigenous yeasts in open-top vats of Raulí (a native pink Chilean oak) to keep the wines light and fresh. White grapes spend one week to two months macerating on the skins in Raulí. No fining, no filtering, no added SO2.
The United States was founded in 1776 — the same year that Manuel Moraga Gutierrez’ ancestors planted País and a variety of native grapes on fertile volcanic soil in Southern Chile. That their vineyard was the 33rd to be registered in all of Chile should tell you something about how deeply the art of winemaking runs in Manuel’s blood, as the seventh generation steward of his renowned family winery.
