Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A partial amount of whole clusters were used in the fermentation of the 2014 Terroir Único Pinot Noir. It fermented in cement vats with indigenous yeasts. The aim with the Terroir Único line is to show the expression of the chalky soils of Gualtallary through the naked varietal so the wines never see any oak. The blend comes from three different vineyards with different soils and altitudes (1,00 to 1,450 meters) that each ripen at different times. Light ruby-colored, with aromas of roses and raspberries, this is very pure, perfumed and intoxicating. The wine matured in concrete vats until bottling. The palate is medium-bodied, with very good freshness. It is fluid, easy to drink (the maceration is not very long) and finishes with a chalky note. This is a bargain Pinot from Gualtallary.
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.”
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.