Terroir Sonoro

Santa Ximena Farm, Itata Valley, Chile

Juan José Ledesma lives, breaths and plays Chilean wine. Juan has been working in the Itata Valley in southern Chile for the last 24 years, consulting for commercial wineries throughout Chile while working with small scale grape growers in the south. Juan was born to a family of musicians and, if you were to ask him, he would probably say he is a musician first and a winemaker second. Juan has combined both passions by utilizing music to assist with the fermentations and elevage of some of his Terroir Sonoro wines, going so far as to plunge speakers (actually a magnetic transducer in silicon) into the barrels during elevage. It’s his belief that the vibrations assist in harmonizing the wines. Think of it as battonage with vibrations. The wines with guitar strings on the labels have been treated to music while those without are simply pure reflections of the unique terroir of the Valle del Itata.

The Valle del Itata is a region that, until recently, had been largely forgotten, as the large, commercial wineries were focused on making European-style wines in Maipo, Colchagua, Maule and elsewhere. Itata was always considered a rustic and backwards area with no “aristocratic” grape varieties. This indifference meant that growers had no money to invest in fertilizers or treatments. They selected the most resistant grapes for mildew, oidium and other diseases. Many of the still-productive vines date back well over 100 years and the vineyards here are organic by nature and are, of course, dry farmed. The region features granitic soils with lots of quartz and schist. This is poor soil with a low amount of nutrients, forcing the vines deep into the fractured ground in search of water and nutrition. Itata is near the sea and benefits from a coastal climate.

Juan works closely with his cousin, Alvaro Senor, a viticulturist whose family has owned their farm and vineyard since 1950. Juan works with tiny plots: 2ha of Cinsault, 1.8ha of Pais, and 1.8ha of Moscatel to make his unique and elegant wines. Field Blend Selections has chosen two wines, neither of which have been treated to music, to start.

Our Selections

Terroir Sonoro El Impostor Cinsault de Aguja Rose Valle del Itata 2021

El Impostor was first produced in 2014 when Juan decided to experiment with a particularly vigorous parcel of Cinsault. The grapes come from a two-hectare organic parcel of 20-year-old Cinsault vines planted on granitic soils with quartz and schist. Hand harvested and de-stemmed, the grapes see 24 hours of skin contact before pressing. The juice is fermented dry and spends two months on the lees before being bottled with additional grape must (in the case of the 2021 vintage, the must came from a small amount of Pais). The fresh grape must causes a second fermentation in 500ml beer bottles. Unfined, unfiltered and absolutely delicious, El Impostor is dry, sparkling Cinsault that positively glows with bright pink color. It’s tart and tangy with a sour cherry note that is similar in appearance to a Lambrusco Rosato and similar in flavor to a sour beer or a piquette. As it says on the label: “Like a beer, only not a beer… it’s El Impostor.”

10% Alcohol 3 g/l Residual Sugar 6.78 g/l Total Acidity 3.08 pH

500 mL bottle, 375 cs produced

Terroir Sonoro Malbec El Perseguidor 2015

Malbec Centenario in A minor.

Made from the "San Rosendo Centenary Malbec", a recently discovered parcel of 140 year old vines in Bio-Bio, this wine is the culmination of Juan Ledesma’s vineyard and cellar work. These ancient Malbec vines were found growing in a high-altitude vineyard mixed amongst Pais vines on granitic soil with quartz and schist that had been used to make Pipeno. Ironically, the grapes had been discarded for being too dense and color and too aromatic (!). Juan Ledesma is one of only three producers made from this tiny 8 hectare plot.

The historic Malbec grapes were destemmed by hand on a traditional Zaranda directly over an open lagar. The grapes were manually pressed and fermented in the same open top lagares. When alcoholic fermentation completed, the wine was transferred to new French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. After malo, a speaker (technically, a transducer wrapped in silicone was submerged and music was played to enhance the elevage. Juan believes that the music vibrations keep the lees in suspension and enriches the wine.

This is a deep, layered wine with rich notes of black cherries, violets, tobacco and spice notes. The palate is round and silky with a touch of natural acidity.

Terroir Sonoro Pais Apellinao 2016

100% Pais from a 2ha vineyard of deep granitic soils located 250m above sea level with Pacific Ocean influences. The Pais vines are relatively young for the area at between 50-70 years old. The vines are bush head trained and dry farmed with no pesticides and no fertilizers.

The grapes were hand harvested and destemmed with a Zaranda. Spontaneous fermentation occurred with native yeasts in stainless steel. Juan then left kept the wine on the lees for nine months in 3rd use Rauli (native) wood barrels, all the while using sonic, vibrational battonage. That is to say, he sunk a speaker into the barrel during elevaage. Bottled unfined and unfiltered then aged three years in bottle before release.

The Pais Apellinao features wild berries and herbs on the nose, with a menthol undertone. Medium bodied, fruity and spicy on the palate with a long finish.

12.5% Alc, 1.02 g/l RS, 5.29 g/l TA, 3.44 pH. 291 cs produced

Terroir Sonoro Tinto Nitanto (Pais/Cinsault) 2019

Tinto (Nitanto) literally means “red (not so much).” It started as a joke. In 2014, Juan invited his father-in-law to help with the blending. Juan and the rest of the team would spit the wine into a bucket as they tasted each batch for blending. His father-in-law did not (would not and could not) spit. He said “make me a wine with less alcohol.” The first vintage was a blend of Pais, Malbec and Cinsault (the same base wine as the Impostor, with only 10% alcohol). The wine has since evolved and is now 50/50 Cinsault and Pais from 50–70-year-old ungrafted bush-head, dry-farmed, organic vines, planted to granitic soils whose roots extend 10 meters in depth. Fermented in stainless steel, this is an easy to drink Tinto with great acidity and freshness.

12% Alcohol 1.6 g/l Residual Sugar (dry), 5.29 g/l Total Acidity 3.49 pH 415 cs produced

Terroir Sonoro Moscatel Reptiliano Orange 2019

100% Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) from a two-hectare parcel of organic, dry farmed 50+ year old un-grafted bush vines on quartz gravel, red clay, and schist over granite. No pesticides or fertilizers used.

Harvested berry by berry and manually destemmed using a traditional Zaranda; basket pressed and fermented on the skins for seven days with native yeasts. Due to the low pH soils, malolactic does not occur. Aged in 12 months in used 3500L foudre. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Perfumed and fresh aromas with notes of fragrant orange peel. The palate is dry with a hint of salinity and a refreshing mineral note. Reptiliano is an intriguing and curious orange wine, singular and unique. 12% Alcohol, 4 g/l RS, 5.4 g/l TA, 3.66 pH – Only 500 cs produced.

Terroir Sonoro Verso Primero Moscatel 2016

100% Moscatel (Muscat of Alexandria) from a two-hectare parcel of organic, dry farmed 50+ year old un-grafted bush vines on quartz gravel, red clay, and schist over granite. No pesticides or fertilizers used.

Harvested berry by berry and manually destemmed. The grapes were not crushed but placed in a closed-top barrel. Spontaneous fermentation with no sulfites added. After 280 days in barrel, the berries were pressed and aged an additional 9 months in used 225L French oak; bottled unfined, unfiltered. Aged in bottle 3 years before release.

This is a wine with wild aromatics - highly complex with elements of jasmine, tangerine, lemongrass and a struck match note. On the palate the wine is medium bodied and round with a bit of unctuousness to balance the acidity.

13% Alc, 3.5 g/l RS, 5.06 g/l TA, 3.7 pH 250 cs produced