Montsecano 2018 Estate Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley

Montsecano 2018 Estate Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley

Item Number: 16525

UPC: 7-804635970010

Country: Chile
Region: Aconcagua
Sub Region: Casablanca
Appellation/AVA: Casablanca Valley
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2018
Grape(s): 100% Pinot Noir
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 6
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12
Viticulture: Practicing Biodynamic
Soil Type: Granite
Elevation: 1,020-1,220 feet

Winemaking Notes: This 100% biodynamic, hand-harvested, single vineyard Pinot Noir is aged and fermented completely in concrete eggs with indigenous yeast. There is no fining or filtering.

Tasting Notes: Dark ripe cherry and black fruits jump out of the glass with underlying raspberry fruit notes. A condensed and dark spiraling mid-palate shows layers of minerality and complexity, with hints of wet crushed rock (granite), sage, clove and blueberry. It is a rich Pinot Noir with full fruit and a long, generous, smooth finish.

Reviews

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 95 (2/28/2020)

    According to Julio Donoso, the 2018 Montsecano, the first vintage vinified by Derain, "continues the Montsecano style, following the path marked by Ostertag, but we vinified a little earlier and macerations were shorter." 2018 was a very good and cool vintage, and that certainly helped to have a fresher wine, produced from their five hectares of dry-farmed vines that were planted between 2006 and 2010 in the village of Las Dichas in Casablanca. The wine ferments and matures in concrete eggs until bottling. It has a moderate 12% alcohol, reflecting the character of the year and the earlier picking, with red acid berry aromas, a floral touch and more depth and complexity than the Refugio from this same year. It's subtle, has detail and elegance and is clean and focused, with very fine tannins and a very balanced palate with integrated acidity. It's harmonious and elegant. This is slightly different from the 2017 but equally excellent.