This terroir wine project is all about hunting down unique soils and climates for certain varieties, and in this case it is Pinot Noir on sandstone with calcarious deposits. This complex Pinot has earthy aromas of talc and graphite with fresh red fruit and spice, and a saline, mineral finish — hinting at its proximity to the coast.
Read more about Clos de Fous
The slightly warmer sub-region of San Julián further inland on the river terraces gives this silky Pinot Noir juicy notes of ripe strawberries and black cherries. A seductive wine with freshness and layers of liquorice, red fruit and black pepper.
Read more about Concha y Toro
This Pinot Noir from vines planted on schist terraces brings a whole new face to Maule. With a few years in bottle before release, this Pinot Noir shows more evolved tertiary notes of stewed red berries and leather but ultimately it’s a savoury, mineral wine with graphite and grip on the finish. The early vintages are promising, and I’m sure there’s a lot more to come from this special site.
Miguel Torres Chile winery is based in the heart of Curicó, a region which the Spanish vigneron came to in 1979. The Miguel Torres winery has been revolutionary in Chile for many reasons. Bringing the first stainless steel tanks with temperature control and the first French barrels to Chile in the 80s, it was ahead of its time then and continues to innovate today. In particular, Miguel Torres Chile has helped lead the renaissance of Chile’s ancient País variety.
Read more about Miguel Torres
As we celebrate Pinot Noir Day this 18th August, we wanted to bring you the ultimate guide to Pinot Noir in South America. If you are looking for the best Pinot Noir in Chile or the best Pinot Noir in Argentina, we’ve got you covered in our guide to this elusive grape in the major wine regions of South America.
Often seen as the holy grail of wines, Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult. If you get it wrong, you can make a rather bland wine. But if you get it right, it can be among the world’s most thrilling. Over the last 20 years, Chilean winemakers have been gradually coaxing their Pinot Noir from the former camp to the latter. This recent quantum leap in Chilean Pinot Noir quality reflects this generation’s greater understanding of Chile’s diverse climate types and soils, better genetic material in the vineyard and more sensitive winemaking in the cellar.