Errázuriz Las Pizarras Pinot Noir 2017

I love the aromas of smoked meat, dried strawberries and spices. Some resin and pine-needle undertones. Full-bodied, layered and rich with plenty of fruit and linear tannins running through the middle of the wine. Juicy and refined. Purity and greatness. Drink on release or hold.

As with the Chardonnay, the 2017 Aconcagua Costa "Las Pizarras" Pinot Noir is also fresher and sharper than the 2016 I tasted next to it, despite the year being somewhat warmer. They used 20% full clusters for the fermentation in open tanks. The élevage was in 35% new French oak barrels and lasted some 14 months. This feels very young and fruit-driven, open, aromatic, exuberant and, in a way, less mineral than the 2016. Perhaps it's only a matter of age, but this doesn't seem to have the same level of complexity and depth. I see this more in line with 2015. 10,000 bottles were filled in May 2018.

Aromas of plum, spicy currant and iodine carry the nose. The racy palate is pumped full of red-berry acidity, while this coastal Pinot tastes of salty currant and raspberry along with barrel spice and dried earth. A compacted palate is tomatoey and savory, with bold acidity keeping everything in order.

Delicate and restrained aromas of red cherry, wood smoke and lush strawberry lead through to a crunchy, bittersweet summer fruit palate.