#417 Pinot Noir from Chile

If you fancy a Pinot Noir, where would you go?  Burgundy, certainly, and places like New Zealand and Oregon have established reputations for producing some quality wines as well.  But where else?  The Alto Adige in Italy can produce good wines, indeed Franz Haas has dedicated his life to trying to beat Burgundy at its own game.  But Chile?



Chile is well known for its big producers, and because Pinot Noir is a fickle grape it doesn't really lend itself to mass production, the two shouldn't really go together but that isn't stopping some larger producers trying to make a Pinot Noir.  I tried four Chilean Pinot Noirs, to try and figure out if these  had the potential to fill the sub £10 gap that Burgundy left years ago, or if they were a wasted effort.

First I tried the 2009 Chilcas Single Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Maule Valley.  Costing £10 from Bibendum, this initially had a bright cherry and raspberry aroma with a touch of poopy farmyard coming off.  It then fell apart on the palate, starting off savoury with some spice coming off, but then nothing but dirty, confected and acidic.  74pts

I then tried a wine from Casablanca, the ten pounds 2009 Vista Hermosa Pinot Noir.  Again, bright raspberry fruit with some savoury characteristics.  The palate has more veggies, some darker liquorice flavours and better than the Chilcas, but the finish is pretty bad and, once again, acidic. 80pts

I then tried a pair of wines from Anakena.  Their entry level single varietal range (mainly Bordeaux varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay) has always shown a commercial varietal style, and been worth the £6 that you have to pay for them.  The 2009 Anakena Single Varietal Pinot Noir from the Central Valley is an extra pound, more than likely due to the fragile nature of the grape, but I found that it didn't really taste like a Pinot Noir.  It was slightly sweeter on the nose, with a little hot rubber coming off.  The palate was a bit boring, but has some pleasant enough fruit without the sweetness that you normally get from New Zealand Pinots.  Again, there is too much acid on the finish, but this is a nice drink - it just doesn't taste like Pinot Noir.  83pts £7

Finally, the ten pounds 2010 Anakena Ona Pinot Noir from Leyda was the best of the bunch.  Lots of raspberry fruit and a bit of creamy chocolate coming off, almost like strawberry flavoured chocolate.  The palate is balanced, some bright fruit flavours mixed with some greener notes coming off mixed with some cranberry and plum skin.  It tastes like Pinot Noir, tastes like it is from Chile, so it is a success. 85pts

I'd still get my Pinot Noir from France though.