Cousino Macul 'Isidora' Sauvignon Gris

Sauvignon Gris

Maipo Valley, Chile

Founded in 1856, Cousiño-Macul is the only 19th century winery in Chile that remains in the hands of the original founding family. All Cousiño-Macul reserve wines are estate grown, vinted and bottled. In 1994, the capital city of Santiago had expanded to the point of completely surrounding the original Macul estate in the southeast of the city, so the search for an additional single estate vineyard location began. In May 1996, the Cousiño family bought 750 acres of land in Buin, an agriculturally rich subregion of the Maipo Valley, about 20 miles southeast of Santiago. The Buin estate met the Cousiños’ ambitious criteria of soil composition, climate and proximity to the Andes Mountains.

Isidora Goyenechea was born in 1836 to a family of prominent silver miners in northern Chile. She married Luis Cousiño in 1855, with whom she had seven children. Luis died in 1873, leaving Isidora with the challenge of raising their family and becoming steward to a group of companies ranging from coal mining to winemaking. Isidora courageously took the reins of both family and business, becoming one of the leading figures of Chilean society during the second half of the nineteenth century. Isidora's role in Cousiño-Macul's history may well be compared to that of the great "champagne widows" like Veuve Clicquot, Louise Pommery and Elisabeth "Lili" Bollinger. Her contributions to philanthropy and the development of the arts have added to her reputation as an outstanding feminine figure in the history of Chile.