Coteaux de Trumao

The winery

Coteaux de Trumao is the project of brothers Christian and Olivier Porte, two Frenchmen who have lived in Chile for more than forty years. In 2000 they bought a farm on the south bank of the Bueno River, in the municipality of San Pablo, about half an hour from Osorno, and that same winter, inspired by an old grape-laden arbor they found on the property, they planted their first thousand vines of various varieties; the one that adapted best was Pinot Noir. The barrels of 2005 to 2007 did not work out, until in 2008 the winemaker Louis-Antoine Luyt vinified their grapes, and in 2009 a visit from Marcel Lapierre, the Beaujolais producer and natural-wine pioneer, encouraged them to plant more. Since 2011 the winemaking has been in the hands of the Frenchman Quentin Javoy. Their first wine was called Cruchon; since 2019 the main label has carried the winery's name. In an area traditionally given over to cattle and grain, Coteaux de Trumao presents itself as the southernmost producing winery in Chile.

The vineyard covers some three hectares of Pinot Noir on hills facing the river, with no irrigation, chemical fertilizers or herbicides: it is worked with compost, shallow plowing and manual treatments, following biodynamic principles, and since 2008 it has welcomed volunteers from different countries every season. The grapes are picked by hand and destemmed berry by berry; they ferment only with native yeasts in old French oak and raulí-wood foudres, are pressed in wooden basket presses and aged at least twelve months in old barrels before being bottled unfiltered with little or no sulfites. Production is around four thousand bottles a year: the Pinot Noir Coteaux de Trumao, the Cruchon, the white Trumao Blend (Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Pinot Gris, Viognier and Chardonnay) and, more recently, the Don Rosé from Pinot Noir. Tim Atkin gave 94 points to the Coteaux de Trumao 2019, Decanter 93 to the 2021, and Descorchados 2026 included the Don Rosé 2024 among the best rosés of the year.

The visit is a guided tour of about two hours: a walk through the parcels to learn what makes each one different and about the organic management, a tour of the cellar with an explanation of each stage of winemaking, and a tasting of the wine in progress, with time for questions. It takes up to ten people over 18 (parents may bring children under two), comfortable shoes and a windbreaker are advisable, and the website lists a price from CLP 20,000 per person. Book by writing to the winery by email or Instagram, since the online calendar is disabled. On the same property is Casa Campanario, 200 m², with two en-suite bedrooms and two rooms with three beds each for a maximum of ten guests, an equipped kitchen, a fire pit area with a bar, a terrace with a pool and access down to the river for fishing or canoeing; the website lists CLP 94,000 per night for up to four people, though it currently warns that its calendar is unavailable. There is no restaurant, and the wines are bought by contacting the sales team directly.