Writing for Decanter magazine is one of the highlights of my career, and gives me a great opportunity to try wines from all over the world but also highlight some of the most exciting wines in South America. This year I was asked to pick my Top 10 South American wines for 2023, and it gave me a good opportunity to highlight some of the trends that are really changing the shape of South American wine today.
“Looking back over my tasting highlights of 2023, what really stands out is the growing mastery of South America’s winemakers with the Goldilocks varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Limarí and Gualtallary are — in my opinion at least — bonafide ‘grand crus’ for these varieties, but Aconcagua Costa and Malleco are increasingly prevalent too. Tabali, Reta, Catena Zapata, Errazuriz and Vinos Baettig as notable disciples.
That being said, it was actually the rather more unusual locations that really caught my eye this year. One of the best Chardonnays I tasted in 2023 came unexpectedly from a boutique producer in Brazil’s emerging Serra do Sudeste region. To the other extreme, deep in Argentine Patagonia, the world’s southernmost commercial winery, Otronia, has been producing excellent Chardonnay since their first vintage, but it is the new 2021 vintage of Pinot Noir that I found to be a great surprise.
From Chile, I have thoroughly enjoyed drinking Rafael Tirado’s Pinot Noir which offers excellent value for money and still begs the question as to why he is the lone producer in Maule’s Andes mountains. Another, which is not available outside of Chile yet, is JP Martin’s brilliant Pinot Noir from Huasco… made in the Atacama Desert no less!
The other variety that has really shone this year is, perhaps less surprisingly, Malbec. I particularly enjoyed the distinctive expressions coming from old vines in Maule with the wines of Reta and Miguel Torres’ Los Inquietos, and the tippy top altitude expressions of Humahuaca in Northern Argentina with Cielo Arriba. We have also seen some real leaps in quality in the Uco Valley, which continues to drive forward Argentina’s top wines.
The long-awaited debut release from Altos Las Hormigas’ Jardin Altamira vineyard is one of the best wines I have tasted this year, and it can sit proudly alongside the other noble Malbec wines coming from Zuccardi, El Enemigo, Catena Zapata and PerSe. The wines reflect Argentina embracing a more Burgundian ethos, while bravely also showing their own distinct personality.
