Castel Pujol Folklore Manseng Noir

In 1975, Quico Carrau Pujol, in collaboration with the University of California Davis, began the search for a terroir to plant the first virus-free vines. This place had to have qualities that would adapt to the climate of Uruguay, sandy soils and slopes that would allow good drainage to avoid excess water in the vine. After going through and analysing different soils in the South of Brazil and North of Uruguay, they found this property in Rivera, Cerro Chapeu, in Cuchilla de Santana, with sandy, reddish and deep soils, with low fertility and very good drainage. It is here where the project of selecting vineyards that would adapt to this place began.

In 1997 Francisco Carrau, ninth generation and youngest son of Quico, after touring wineries in different parts of the world, designed the winery, deciding to build it inside a hill to take advantage of gravity and thus achieve vinification with minimal manipulation of the musts.
Currently, Bodegas Carrau is a family business, where five brothers pay tribute to over 260 years of wisdom generated by their ancestors.
Francisco Carrau – Winemaking Legend, Tim Atkin MW Uruguay Report 2021

Manseng Noir,

Manseng Noir plants imported from France and planted in 2019 within the framework of the ANII research project.

Vineyards planted at 250 meters above sea level in soils of alluvial origin from volcanic materials washed over millions of years that formed very deep reddish sediments rich in iron, with great depth and good drainage.

Continental climate with great thermal amplitude.

Hand-picked with 15 kg boxes. ELABORATION The Manseng Noir bunches are destemmed in open tanks. Fermented with selected native yeasts in a stainless steel tank with two pump-overs a day for 3 days. Then everything is pressed together and stored in second-use barrels where the malolactic and fermentation ends. It is only kept in barrels for 2 months for natural clarification. It is then bottled with nominal So2.

Silky smooth on the palate, lovely aromas of cassis, sour cherry and dark berries. Hints of leather and tobacco with smooth tannins. Full bodied and juicy, with a lovely balanced finish.

Meat dishes and cured cheeses, thus enhancing its complex flavours and aromatic richness.