Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir has an intense red color, with aromas of strawberry, raspberry and blueberry, as well as subtle spicy notes that are characteristic of the variety. The tannins are smooth and elegant, and the vibrant acidity leads to a long and juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very attractive nose, swathed in focused, racy blue fruit and red berries. Some orange peel, ripe strawberries and oyster shell, too. Rich and full of flavor with supple tannin and a long finish. 100% de-stemmed.
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.”
Its rolling, coastal hills encouraged great investment in the 1990s from those in search of a cooler grape growing environment compared to those found in Chile’s Central Valley. All of the vineyards of the San Antonio Valley, which runs north to south and parallel to the coast, experience the cooling effect of the ocean and are made of vine-loving clay and granitic soils. While Sauvignon Blanc put this valley on the Chilean wine map, high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are emerging and some producers are starting to experiment with sparkling wine.