Clos de Luz is a family-owned and -operated winery located in the Almahue Valley in Chile, known as the birthplace of Carménère. Winemaker Gabriel Edwards returned to run the family domaine after obtaining a master in wine business degree and working for Undurraga and Moët & Chandon.
The estate includes over 33 hectares of vineyards, the oldest of which were planted in 1945 by Gabriel’s grandmother, Luz. Clos de Luz owns some of the oldest Carménère vineyards in Chile and indeed in the world. All vines are 100% ungrafted and certified organic by Ceres. Because Chile is isolated from the phylloxera, the vines are planted “franc de pied,” giving a unique character to the wines. The family uses 100% massal selection from old vineyards—a method that consists of selecting good and healthy vines and then propagating them from cuttings. Using massal selection preserves the natural diversity of the plants, as opposed to using clonal selection (all genetically identical plants). The vineyards are plowed by horses, which further benefits vineyard ecology and biodiversity.
