Bouchon Pais Salvaje Blanco

Grape: País Blanco
Region: Maule Valley, Chile
Body: Medium
Sweetness: Dry
Style: Textured
ABV: 12.5%

A wildly unique white from Chile’s Maule Valley, made from a rare white mutation of País. It’s juicy and fresh, with green apple, pear, citrus and white pepper, plus a savoury, mineral quality that keeps things interesting. There’s texture here too, making this a white with a little more going on than simple crisp and refreshing.

And “Salvaje” really does mean wild. These vines grow untended through native trees, with some reaching up to six metres high. Harvesting happens by hand with ladders, because apparently picking grapes from a normal vineyard just wasn't exciting enough.

The white grapes were discovered almost by accident. After Bouchon began making their red País Salvaje, they noticed that some clusters growing among the wild vines were much lighter in colour. They harvested them separately, and País Salvaje Blanco was born. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration.

A rare white mutation of a centuries-old Chilean grape, harvested from vines growing in trees. Wine is weird sometimes. We love it.