I love Chilean wine, and I love Pinot Noir, so this wine seems like a great choice for me. However, I’ve found that Pinot Noir wines can be very good or they can be rather bad, so I’m always a bit apprehensive when trying a new Pinot Noir. Apparently, Pinot Noir is fairly easy to screw up.
I’m not pairing this wine with anything tonight. Although red wines can sometimes be a bit strong to drink by themselves, Pinot Noir is typically a bit lighter, so I think this should be okay.
I’m using my Pinot Noir tumblers for this wine. From previous experience, I know that these glasses do improve the aroma and flavor of a Pinot Noir. They are stemless, as well.
Now to the tasting.
There’s some wonderful fruit (strawberries and cherries) on the nose. My wife described it as like sucking up bits of fruit into your nose, but more pleasant. There’s also some noticeable oak influences, with vanilla and some smokiness.
Strawberries and cherries hit the palate, along with some vanilla and tobacco on the finish. The finish hangs on for a while. Very good balance. The tannins are just enough to give it some good structure, and the acidity balances the fruit well. While some wines, and red wines in particular, really need some food to complement it, this wine is very easy to drink by itself. I’m very impressed with this wine.
I don’t usually use “tobacco” to describe wines, but that’s the best way to describe this. I don’t use tobacco myself, but I am somewhat familiar with the smell. I’m talking about the smell of a good pipe tobacco here, not cigarettes. It’s a smoky, somewhat sweet, somewhat spicy flavor. I’m sure it comes from the oak, but it isn’t something I get in wine that often. It adds complexity and depth to the wine.
I’m really, really, really enjoying this wine. This is my new favorite Pinot Noir. This definitely gets my “Excellent” rating! I paid $10 for the bottle on sale, but it normally sells for $13. I highly recommend this wine.
Once again, I’m very impressed with Chilean wine. In general, I’ve found that Chile produces some great wines at very reasonable prices. There is definitely a unique style to their wines, and it is a style that I happen to like very much. I definitely plan on exploring more wines from Chile, but I also will be featuring other countries on my blog.