The story of Louis-Antoine Luyt began in Burgundy. As a young man, Louis-Antoine, “L-A” to his friends, longed to travel the world. On a lark, he booked a three-month trek of South America. In Chile, he ran out of money and fell in love and not necessarily in that order. So, he took a job washing dishes in a local restaurant. Given his region of origin and natural aptitude for wine, he quickly became the restaurant’s wine buyer and soon began mingling with the local wine community. Shortly thereafter, Louis-Antoine befriended Chile’s first Master of Wine, Hector Vergara, and ultimately became his pupil. In studying Chilean vineyards and wine, he recognized a disconnect. As a native Burgundian who knew well the integral connection between soil and wine, he wondered why the meticulously farmed, centuries-old vineyards in Chile were used to produce such mediocre, industrial wine. The answer, of course, is that for decades Chile has been dominated almost exclusively by industrial, export-driven wine production. More often than not, beverage conglomerates from France and the US use local farmers and the low cost of labor—somewhat taking advantage of the country—as a vast reservoir to produce cheap, poor quality, commercial wine for grocery store and chain restaurant consumption all over the world. Nevertheless, Louis Antoine saw the potential in the local terroir and ancient vines, many 100 to even 200 years old, and knew there was an opportunity to make soulful, world-class wine in Chile.
Louis-Antoine sprung into action. He returned to Burgundy where he first worked under Burgundian master, Philippe Pacalet, then with the Louis Jadot estate. Next, he enrolled in the viticulture and enology program at the University of Beaune, which is arguably the finest university wine education program in Europe. At Beaune, he became close friends with Mathieu Lapierre who is son of legendary vigneron Marcel Lapierre in Morgon. L-A then worked the next five consecutive harvests at the Lapierre family estate. In doing so, he received a final master class in organic viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking under the wise tutelage of the legendary, elder Lapierre. Armed with this wealth of knowledge and experience, L-A returned to Chile and immediately sought out the most exciting and inspiring, ancient vineyard parcels. L-A discovered what would become his muse—the ancient grape variety, País. País is a largely forgotten variety thought to have been brought to South America by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500’s. L-A fell head over heels in love with the variety’s fresh, savory and all-at-the-same-time meaty complexity. In time, he made it his mission to spread the gospel of Chilean País to the global wine community.
L-A bottles a head-spinning diversity of País-based wines, but today’s bottling, “Portezuelo,” is my favorite of everything I’ve tasted. The grapes in this wine come from 200-year-old vines in an ancient limestone and clay vineyard in Portezuelo. A treacherous place to grow wine, this small and rural village in the central Chilean region of Bío Bío endures significantly higher wind, rainfall and more severe temperature swings than other major Chilean wine regions. Historically, Bío Bío is a magnet of earthquakes and was host to the country’s two most recent major disasters in 2010 and 1960 (the most powerful earthquake ever recorded). One might question L-A’s sanity for wanting to bottle wine here, but one sip confirms that it is well worth the adversity. I have very few technical notes for this wine’s vinification. The only ingredient is organic grape clusters derived from 200-year-old vines that have never seen a drop of herbicide or irrigation. Clusters are gently pressed under foot and bottled with no sulfur or additives of any kind. This is as primitive and pure as winemaking gets. I urge you to watch L-A’s beautifully shot video from last year’s harvest.
I would not fault anyone for mistaking the 2015 Louis-Antoine Luyt “Portezuelo” for Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir in the glass. The wine’s pale, earthy red-orange hue is reminiscent of Burgundy and Piemonte, but that is where the similarities end. This wine explodes from the glass with a completely unique aromatic bouquet. Mountain herbs, dried wild flowers, white pepper, truffles, exotic berries—this list goes on and on. A few sips reveals that this is a wine built for a table full of close friends. Its joyful energy and thirst-quenching juiciness is contagious. Exotic and delicious wines like this are the perfect way to inject some excitement and mystery into a gathered feast or holiday meal. This wine should be consumed in its youth. Although, if kept well, this wine has years ahead of it. As there is no sulfur acting as a preservative, it is necessary to keep the bottle somewhat cool. To drink, quickly decant and serve in large Burgundy stems. The wine will shine almost immediately and can pair with just about anything. A roasted chicken with vegetables would be ideal with this wine and this recipe provides a perfect guide.
