Tipaume
The Project
This natural vineyard (Demeter Certified) and winery is a family venture that began in 1996 with the purchase of a 16 acres property in the small village of Cerrillos, near Rancagua in Chile. Located in the Alto Cachapoal at the foot of the Cordillera de los Andes, at around 400 meters above sea level, the terroir has profound, well drained soils of low fertility, and a very cool climate that allow a long period of maturation in autumn.
The Winery
Built in 2005, underground (“sous la maison”). The vines are all planted at a high density (3000 per acre), ungrafted, and the grape varieties are composed with 60% Cabernet sauvignon, 30% Carménère, 5% Merlot, 3% Lacrima Cristi and 2% Viognier. Also added some Pinot noir and Chardonnay in 2009.
The Wine Making Process
No pumping, fining, filtration, nor any other aggresive manipulation. Harvest takes place in May; after a selection bay per bay, fermentation takes place in special intégrale barrels, at a low temperature, and macerates with the skins during 2 months. Then the dejuicing, pressing, and racking are all made exclusively by gravity. Bottling is finally realized at the winery, around 12.5 months after harvest, and as a tribute to our Burgundy and Champagne héritage, we use special bottles, with only the best natural corks available.
The Winemaker
When Yves Pouzet leaves France in the early 80’s, his dream is discovering the world through its mountains and wines. His journey includes adventures in California, India and Peru, among others, until finally, attracted by the massive Andes Mountain range and the versatility of its wines, he lands in the long and skinny Chile. What Yves didn’t know was that one day, when he went to the mountains for skiing, he would meet Valentina, his life partner and mother of their two children, with whom they would build a family…. and a winery. Several years passed travelling the central area until 1996 when they found the perfect place to start their vineyards, which would create years later our first wine Tipaume. In Rengo, an small town 120 km south of Santiago, under the clear starry night, protected by wolves and owls, rests the winery that was named upon the river that travels from the top of the Mountains across our vineyards.
