2019 Montsecano Pinot Noir
Apr 15, 2022
WINE: 2019 Montsecano Pinot Noir
REGION: Casblanca, Chile
BLEND: 100% Pinot Noir
ABV: 14%
NOTES:
I’m a sucker for a wine that slows you down and makes you think about it a little more, and with this Pinot - there’s plenty to ponder. The Pinot Noir from this winery is grown in the chilliest (ha, Chill-e), area of the country and grown on the most vertical slopes you could imagine. The winery is at the base of the slopes, surrounded by large trees which keep the ambient temperature of the cellar low. A big rule with the founders is to always maintain natural fermentations - meaning that no yeast is added to the wine making process and rather they use native yeast that lives within the cellar to complete fermentation.
The aromatics show the native ferments and the roots of the burgundy winemaker (who joined the team and brought his skill set along). It’s a little more earthy, forest floor rather than the juicy bright fruit you may expect from the Willamette. Most, if not all of the winemaking is held in concrete vats so the presence of oak isn’t quite there but the maturity and depth of the wine takes hold. The wine still manages to keep its fruit characters and tannic backbone and becomes a blend of flavors you don’t quite get to experience from an everyday Pinot bottle.
Enjoy this wine slowly over the evening to watch it unfold. If you must have food, go savory with beef or game meats. Visit the website from this producer and read through a bit more of their interpretation of the land, soil and how photography plays into every move.
PAIRINGS:
If you must have food, go savory with beef or game meats.