Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco, Bodega Chacra 2017

I nearly fell off my chair when I first put my nose in the glass of the 2017 Cincuenta y Cinco. I cannot remember such balance and elegance in a wine from Chacra before. It's floral, mineral and super tasty, with an almost salty finish—refined and detailed like no other Pinot Noir from Argentina. It's only 12.8% alcohol and retains very good acidity. Of course, it comes from a vineyard planted in 1955 ("cincuenta y cinco" means "fifty five" in Spanish) that is worked organically and biodynamically. It fermented with full clusters and indigenous yeasts in concrete vats and was left to infuse with the grapes' aromas and flavors. Thirty percent of the wine was kept unoaked, while the rest matured in second and third use French barrels with the lees. This is truly unbelievable. Even Piero Incisa della Rocchetta doesn't understand how they managed to get a wine with such low alcohol and high energy and freshness in a vintage like 2017. 20,829 bottles and 150 magnums were filled in December 2017.