Maturana Naranjo Torontel Orange Wine 2023 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely and highly-acclaimed orange wine (i.e. skin-fermented white) that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month and was featured on the back cover of the July 5th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Maturana Winery, a family-owned wine producer that was founded in 2010, after the great earthquake in Chile, by brothers José Ignacio and Sebastian Maturana. After the earthquake, the brothers decided that there was no time to waste in getting started on their great passion for viticulture and wine. Since the beginning, the Maturana brothers have produced unique, sustainably crafted wines which represent a way of life.

The core values at Maturana are based on innovation, differentiation, fair price, passion, rescue of heritage strains, and quality. With innovation, the goal is to capture the identity of the varieties and specific locations in order to bring out each of their best characteristics. Because Chile has been making wines in the same way for decades, Maturana welcomes differentiation as this is an opportunity to differentiate themselves from others. Maturana supports natural vineyard management and believes in horizontal growth by responsibly paying their growers, sometimes as much as seven times the market price per kilo. Passion is the drug that keeps the Maturana brothers going, and is personified by the Walt Disney phrase: "Dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." With a deep commitment to promoting the ancient vineyards of central Chile, Maturana aims to revive varietals such as País, Torontel, San Francisco, and others. Last, but not least, producing the best quality wines is their core value and goes hand-in-hand with their concept of creating something unique.

This unique orange wine is crafted with 100% Torontel from old vines that were planted ungrafted in 1935 in Loncomilla, within the Maule Valley. The grapes were selected and harvested by hand. It was vinified using traditional Orange Wine (or Amber Wine) methods whereby the white wine remains in contact with the grape skins. To craft this wine, the grapes were fermented and aged for 9 months in concrete eggs.

The 2023 growing season was a warm and somewhat challenging vintage for most of Chile, except for the mostly coastal areas. It began with a chilly and wet winter, followed by an equally cold spring. Vegetative growth was relatively prolific due to replenished water levels, while budburst and flowering was slow due to cold weather. Summer was sizzling as one of the hottest in decades, with fires breaking out in parts of the country, including Maule. Those that were lucky enough to be out of the fires' path avoided smoke taint and the drop in yields, with the result being good quality wines. Let's see how this 2023 Torontel Orange Wine from Chile is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

MATURANA NARANJO TORONTEL ORANGE WINE 2023 - Sustainable, Loncomilla, Valle del Maule, Chile (#556217) (XD) - $24.95
Pours a vivid orange colour. The medium-high intensity nose is deep and intense with lovely orange, white tea, and dried herb aromas accented with spice notes. The medium+ weighted palate is dry and spicy with bright and vibrant acidity lifting the orange, white tea, blossom, and herbally flavours. Stony mineral notes add interest and complexity on the textured mid-palate. Spices and herbs give way to tea and minerals on the long, juicy, dry, and fine-grained finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

One other wine by Maturana is available at the LCBO, while the full range can be ordered through their Agent - Kolonaki Fine Wines & Spirits.