The Las Estelas Pinot Noir surprised me as it was my favourite wine of Estela Perinetti’s range. (And that’s high praise as I thought her Malbecs were outstanding.). Made from some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the Uco Valley this was a truly stunning find.
I am not usually that fussed about many Argentine (or Chilean for that matter) Pinot Noirs. Too often they are over extracted for both colour and fruit flavour and just end up just tasting of sweet strawberry. Not very typical of great Pinot Noir. However this is made properly and is sublime. For me, Pinot Noir is either the worst thing you’ll ever drink, or the best. This one definitely hits the latter.
Flavour wise it has ripe, but not over-ripe, raspberry and soft, crunchy red berry fruits and a lick of that savoury, vegetal note you get from great Pinot Noirs. The natural acidity sits in perfect balance with the silky tannins to make for an extremely lengthy, harmonious finish. Definitely a wine to watch as I expect great things to come.
About the wine
“Made in partnership with Diego Rosso, whose Pinot vines in Tunuyán are amongst the oldest in the Uco, this is clone 777 planted in the 1990s and made with the utmost respect for this most fickle of grapes. Everything is done by hand, with fermentation in a combination of concrete eggs and old barrels, fully de-stemmed with partial whole bunch. 100% of the wine is aged for 10 months in second use French oak. On the nose, bounteous wild red fruits and the unmistakable whiff of forest floor; in the mouth silky tannins and fresh juicy fruit with a long finish. This is definitely New World Pinot Noir approaching its South American best and sees Argentina taking a seat at the top table. It bodes for amazing things to follow in future.”
91 points – 2022 vintage – Tim Atkin MW 2023 Argentina Special Report
