30% of the grapes for this wine come from the Talinay vineyard and 70% from the Espinal vineyard. The Talinay vineyard is situated in a very special area, 12km from the Pacific Ocean, where there is a constant cool sea breeze. These extraordinary conditions mean that we experience much lower temperatures than the rest of the valley. The Espinal vineyard is located 24km from the coast. It is windy in the afternoons and is technically classed as a cool area for wine production. The Talinay vineyard is planted on calcareous soils where the rock is limestone. This is a place with a geological phenomenon that is unique in Chile. This has come about because it is an ancient marine terrace that is now on the surface. It has a very porous, fractured limestone soil, which enables the roots to easily explore the rock, which in turn acts as a hydric regulator and an extraordinary source of calcium carbonate. The Espinal vineyard is located on an alluvial terrace that reveals different levels of clay at the surface. This gives way to a matrix of alluvial soil (volcanic rock which was rounded by erosion as it was carried many kilometres from high up in the Andes mountains). This soil is very stony but has veins of limestone in the form of dust, mainly consisting of calcium carbonate. The grapes are hand-harvested into 20kg-bins to avoid any damage to the fruit. The clusters are carefully selected, then destemmed and selected one last time. They are subject to a cold soak for 8 days at 8°C, before continuing on to the alcoholic fermentation in small stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures. Next there is a second maceration, lasting 3 days. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.
Tasting notes
A delicious mouth watering and delicate Pinot Noir, entirely grown on chalky soil, this wine has a nose of all spice and dark chocolate. The palate has notes of fresh red fruit compote with a gamey BBQ quality with a touch of hickory smoke. All this generosity of flavour is underpinned by regional limestone structure.