As we continue our Wines of Chile adventure the best we can as we are not amongst Chilean wineries we might ask if Chile can produce a memorable Pinot Noir. Chile can produce full throttle Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Can it tone down matters a bit and make a gentler Pinot Noir like it can make a Grenache?
We try an Emiliana Organic Vineyards 2020 Signos de Origen Pinot Noir from Valle Casablanca. Yeah play it again Sam! The Casablanca Valley is Chile’s premier cool-climate wine region known for gentle Pacific Ocean breezes, early morning fog and old granitic clay soils that make it one of Chile’s top white wine producers. The higher warmer frost-free elevations are conducive to red varieties such as Merlot and Syrah, while the lower, cooler area are favourable for crisp fruity whites with a characteristic minerality that makes Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay the stars of the Casablanca Valley.
On the nose relaxed and mellow notes of cherry, raspberry, strawberry, cherry cola and beet juice. On the palate immediately the verdict is that this is a full throttle Pinot Noir I have experienced previously. Not all Pinot Noirs must be silky and sensual! You might want to call this one aggressive with a big mouthfeel with a peppery overlay. It may be in a hurry to impress you with its burliness but in doing so it loses much of its strawberry and cherry-based fruit charm. Additionally, that barnyard present upon opening the bottle failed to blow off entirely and as you swirl the glass to let it escape it just smells up right back at you.
Many Pinot Noirs are excellent sipping wines but this roguish chap requires some rough and tumble Chilean cuisine which not having visited Chile I can’t pair it with local foods. I would vote for a spicy sausage on a bun lathered up with red pepper jelly.
(Emiliana Organic Vineyards Signos de Origen Organic 2020 Pinot Noir, DO Valle Casablanca, Chile, $19.95, 750 mL, 13% (Vegan), RKS Wine Rating 86/100).
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