The past few years I had the great pleasure to see how fast the Chilean wines improved. First they stopped being over the top fruit and oak bombs. Second, they developed their terroir. One great example is Cono Sur Vision label. In 2009 it was sourced from different locations in Chile. In 2010, it became an only Bio-bio valley wine.
Connected with the first point, they also managed to deal better with the warm and dry climate, which often leads to under-ripped (yes I said under-ripped) wines in terms of flavours and over-ripped in terms of sugar. This has dramatically diminished and a very good example would come from the comparison of wines like Las Brisas Pinot Noir by Viña Leyda from the recents vintages (2006-2010). The difference is stunning. The same with Syrah, another sensitive grape (contrary to what is usually thought).
A few day ago we tasted 20 Barrels Pinot Noir 2007 by Cono Sur, which is one of the top range wines of the brand. Dark rubis colour with clay-red reflections, showing that this wine starts to be aged. The nose is a splendid and deep example of Pinot Noir. Fruit is elegant and blended with subtle oaky notes and earthiness. This is layered and structured, very nice complexity. The mouth is rond, silky yet powerful, like any good Pinot should be. Same dominants with a long and tasty finish. As they say, this is great stuff! The style is an in-between modern and traditional burgundy taste and it could easily be mistaken with a Village Pinot Noir from Côte de Nuits. This wine is highly recommandable. One of the very best bottles I tasted from Alko.
Wineops’ rating: 88/100 ; 0 0
A Pinot Noir at his best. Ready to drink. This wine should not be opened long before tasting. A around 25€, it really is a good value for money wine, especially to match a fine Christmas meal.
Link to Alko: HERE
Beware that this is a product from the « sale to order » selection (« tilattavat » listing). To get these wine, it is very easy, you go to your local Alko and order directly the bottle.