Quintessential, the fine wine import, marketing and sales company representing some of the oldest and most prestigious wine families in their respective countries, has announced an exclusive agreement with members of Chile’s Undurraga family to bring to the US the wines from a new, small production estate winery, Koyle (pronounced “coy-lee”).

 

For six generations, starting in 1885 with Francisco Undurraga Vicuna, the Undurraga family has been growing grapes and making fine wines. In 1903, they were the first to export wines to the United States and, by the 1980s, Undurraga had become one of the largest and most famous names in the Chilean wine business.

 

In 2006, the family sold the winery, vineyards and the brand. This led Alfonso Undurraga Mackenna, a great-nephew of the aforementioned Francisco, to pursue a lifelong dream of finding superior terroir from which he and his three sons could create hand-crafted, small production wines that show how exceptional Chilean wines can be.

 

Together with sons, Alfonso, Max and viticulturist/winemaker Cristobal, Alfonso settled on 2,718 acres in the Los Lingues zone of Alto Colchagua (DO Colchagua Valley), in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The soil is clay-loam, with gravel and angular stones, allowing ample drainage and the microclimate is a combination of Mediterranean and pre-mountain range, influenced by constant fresh winds. It is the optimum terroir for the making of high quality red wines.

 

The first two wines under the Koyle label are a Seleccion Cabernet Sauvignon and a Seleccion Syrah, both in the 2007 vintage and both blended with a small percentage of Carmenere, the signature red grape of Chile. There will soon be a super premium label called Royale and priced at approximately $20, with the Koyle Seleccion wines retailing for about $15. The wines will be available starting in late August, 2009.

 

Koyle is a Chilean Indian name of the beautiful purple native plant that grows next to oak forests and blossoms with a much-demanded fruit. An endangered species, it can be found in the Koyle mountain vineyards.