| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | Chile |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Viña Errazuriz
The mineral, stone, slate and violet aromas are superb. Full body, dense and silky texture. So much beautiful fruit yet it's so reserved and refined. Layered and complete. Fantastic acidity at the finish. Iron, iodine and oyster. Long finish. Superb follow up to the 2015. Drink or hold.
I also tasted two consecutive vintages of the slate Pinot Noir, and the oldest of the two is the 2016 Aconcagua Costa "Las Pizarras" Pinot Noir, which fermented with 18% full clusters in open vats after a cold soak and had a 20-day maceration. It matured for some 14 months in French barriques, 33% of them new. It has that iodine-like or fresh blood note I associate with schist and iron soils. This seems fresher and more precise than the previous 2015, unlike what I saw in the Chardonnay bottlings. It's nicely textured, with ultra refined tannins that provide some grip and stick to your teeth. 6,500 bottles were filled in May 2017. Drink 2018-2023.
Initially reticent on opening, we would recommend decanting this wine for at least 90 minutes before serving if drinking young. After open for four hours, this wine is beautiful in the glass, with unparalleled purity of red cherries, strawberries and a touch of wild hedgerow fruit. The spiciness is subtle, integrated and savoury, with a touch of struck flint. The palate is silky and refined, with cashmere tannins providing the frame for a dense yet weightless intensity of fruit at the core. Mineral, cool, and vibrant, with waves of acidity lifting the fruit into notes of cherry blossom, this is supremely balanced. This precision and delineation expands through to the finish, which has great length and subtle notes of wood smoke and nutmeg. Once again, this is the stand out Pinot Noir coming from South America in 2016.
