Pinot Noir Pucalán Arenaria, Clos des Fous

The 2017 Pucalán Arenaria Pinot Noir was produced with grapes from the coastal part of the Aconcagua Valley eight kilometers from the sea, where the soils have calcium carbonate and clay. It's from a four-hectare vineyard that is planted at a density of 10,000 plants per hectare, where they have separated up to 14 different plots because of the difference in the soils. Each plot is vinified separately in concrete vats, and malolactic and élevage was in French oak barrels and lasted 18 months. They select the two plots overlooking the sea for this wine, which feels riper and juicier and is from a warm year when they harvested early and achieved 14% alcohol. It has grainy tannins and the texture of granite soils, which would welcome some food. - Luis Gutierrez

Wow! It is a very sharp, polished, long and tight wine. Very fine aromas: herbal, red strawberry and smooth spiciness. Seductive! A very good Pinot Noir. Very fluent, well delineated and very pleasant. Almost without texture, but filled with aromas. It borders on perfection! Exciting. - Ferran Centelles

There's a brightness and focus to this wine with sliced strawberry and lemon aromas that follow through to a medium-to-full body, solid core of fruit and a dried citrus and stone undertone. Linear and persistent. Very pretty as always

(fermented in concrete vats and then aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels; pH 3.27) Vivid ruby-red. Heady aromas of fresh red and dark berries are complemented by suggestions of Asian spices, cola and woodsmoke. Supple and broad on entry and then tighter in the midpalate, offering energetic black raspberry, cherry-vanilla and rose pastille flavors and a touch of star anise. Finishes gently tannic and sweet, displaying excellent persistence and a lingering red berry quality. - Josh Raynolds

Mens 280 kr. for en chilensk pinot noir virker absurd, er det blot en smule over introprisen for en rød bourgogne hos de fleste producenter, men jeg skal love for, at der er kvalitetsforskel. Clos des Fous  er et projekt stiftet med terroirguruen Pedro Parra i spidsen, og selv om marken, der leverer druerne til denne vin, først blev plantet i 2007, er der fuld koncentration i hvert molekyle i denne vin. Planterne er kloner af de bedste stokke fra Gevrey-Chambertin og Vosne-Romanée, og det kan smages. Der er mørke kirsebær, toner af mellemøstlige krydderier og sågar lidt marcipan, når man smager på den. Det er pinot i den mørke afdeling, men bestemt ikke uden finesse. Indholdet forsviner forbavsende hurtigt fra flasken, og man bliver ked af det når man indser, at der ikke er mere tilbage

Tasting the 2014 Pucalan Arenaria Pinot Noir next to the unoaked Subsollum from the same year, you can notice the élevage, which otherwise is imperceptible if tasted in isolation. This is sourced from a vineyard in the Aconcagua Costa appellation some eight kilometers away from the sea. It was planted with 10,000 plants per hectare of Burgundy clones on limestone soils that turned into sandstone that yields 800 grams of grapes per plant. It fermented in concrete vats and matured in new French oak barrels for 18 months, including malolactic. It has a musky nose with some sour cherries and a hint of earth, a very nice interpretation of Pinot Noir. The palate is seamless, with very fine tannins and delicate flavors that linger on your tongue. The texture is velvety and the tannins ultra-fine. Simply superb. I'm dying to see how these wines age, because I think we're still missing the best from them... In any case, I'd wait a little more before pulling the cork. - Luis Gutierrez