I bought five bottles of Chilean Pinot Noir and was impressed with all of them. I tasted them in three tranches - first I tasted the two ‘Reserva’ wines (in Chile this term generally means a mid-tier wine but doesn’t have the same legal weight as it does in a place like Spain or Italy, where certain rules must be followed before the term can be slapped on a label).
Both cost around 300 pesos, the Viña Quintay Clava was a little higher than that and the William Cole a little below that. I had both of them open for three days and tried them with a variety of meals. I was very impressed at how well they retained their freshness over time and provided great pairing with everything from an Asian-inspired salad with bacon to buttery crackers with a smidge of allioli. More light-bodied with a toast of oak and lots of five-spice notes, these wines definitely delivered what was expected of them. They didn’t have the gratuitous ripeness of some California Pinot Noirs nor the higher acid and tannins of a French burgundy. Happy, friendly, middle-of-the-road wines. Drink now, not for cellaring.
Next, I tasted the Pinot Noir Rosé from Viña Quintay, which is priced the same as the red. Before we go any further, I have to confess that I have a difficult time with pinks that aren’t bubbly. I find most are either insipid or downright offensive with a faint aroma of baby vomit (apologies to babies everywhere). This Rosado passed my absurdly biased standards and was in fact quite delicious, and especially food-friendly. It also survived being open for two days, another indication that it’s a well-made wine. However, since it’s priced the same as the regular Pinot Noir, I’d probably default to the red, which I (subjectively, I admit) consider to be a more enjoyable wine. If you, unlike me, prefer a good Pinot Noir Rosé to the regular red version, this one would do nicely.
The last two contenders in my Chilean Pinot Noir extravaganza were the “Gran Reserva” versions of the same producers. Again, an unregulated label name that was ripped off from Europe but is generally used in good faith as an indication of superior quality. Over the next three days, these two bottles became affectionately known by my family as William and Annie, accompanying us to the dinner table day after day.
These wines weren’t priced that much higher than the Reserva options, but they demonstrated a significant jump in pronounced aromatics and flavour profile. It was obvious they were crafted in the same style as their younger Reserva siblings, but had been given more to work with in terms of premium grapes and more use of oak. Redolent in aromatics of five spice and Coca-Cola, these balanced, well-made wines were again enjoyed with several meals over a few days. What a treat to drink higher quality Pinot Noir without having to pay enormous price tags!
Pinot Noir is one of my favourite grapes and it’s sometimes a tricky one to get quite right. Recently, friends have pointed out to me that not too many restaurants in Vallarta devote any space on their wine lists to this iconic and food-friendly grape variety. For those who are wishing to find any of the excellent wines I mention here, the local distributor is Anfitrion de México Vinos y Delicatessen. Might I also suggest you inquire at your local LaComer or Soriana to bring them in as well? If enough of us ask, it just might happen. Pinot power to the people!
