Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Amelia hails from the clayish and chalky soils of Limarí, situated as far as 22km from the ocean shore. Fermented with 50% whole clusters aged for up to 12 months in new and used French oak barrels, this cherry-red wine with a purple sheen reveals aromas of orange peel and cinnamon, layered over a core of earthy cherry fruit. Dry and infusion-like on the palate, it is light and smoothly textured with a hint of talc powder. This is a long-lasting, compact and refreshing Pinot from the northern terroirs of the Coquimbo Region.
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James Suckling
A linear and tight pinot noir with lots of firm tannins that run the length of the wine. Loads of blackberry, raspberry, hibiscus and lavender character. It’s transparent and vivid. More than 50% whole bunch. Needs some time to soften. Best after 2026.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and exuberant, this youthful red has plenty of appeal, offering orange peel, rooibos tea and cardamom accents to the red currant and raspberry core, with lively acidity lending a mouthwatering quality to the finish around fine, minerally tannins. Drink now through 2033.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pinot Noir grows primarily along the coast of Chile in places like Casablanca, but further north in the Limarí Valley, only 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the grape has found another suitable climate. This wine opens with aromas of berries and has a savory palate that features cranberry and subtle notes of herbs and mushrooms. Good acidity carries the flavors through the lasting finish.
Founded in 1883, Vina Concha y Toro is Latin America's leading producer and occupies an outstanding position among the world’s most important wine companies, currently exporting to 135 countries worldwide. Uniquely, it owns around 9,500 hectares of prime vineyards, which allows the company to secure the highest quality grapes for its wine production. Concha y Toro's portfolio includes a wide range of successful brands at every price point, from the top of the range Don Melchor and Almaviva to the flagship brand Casillero del Diablo and innovative stand-alone brands such as Palo Alto and Maycas del Limarí. The company has 3,162 employees and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Part of the Coquimbo region and a key location for pisco production, the Limari Valley is one of the northern most wine producing regions of Chile. The other two, also part of Coquimbo, are the Elqui and less-developed Choapa Valleys. While more vineyard area is dedicated to pisco production (via the grapes of Muscat of Alexandria, Pedro Jimenez, Moscatel de Asturia and Torontel), the acreage under vine for still wine production has increased. The intense sunlight in the Limari Valley, coupled with little rainfall as well as the cooling effect of the Humboldt Current from the Pacifc Ocean, all make the area ideal for cool climate grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot noir.