2017 Bodega Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco

Closed nose. Confected red fruit. Quite light and thin, though there's no underripeness to the fruit – but the whole thing is a bit lean. (RH)

I nearly fell off my chair when I first put my nose in the glass of the 2017 Cincuenta y Cinco. I cannot remember such balance and elegance in a wine from Chacra before. It's floral, mineral and super tasty, with an almost salty finish—refined and detailed like no other Pinot Noir from Argentina. It's only 12.8% alcohol and retains very good acidity. Of course, it comes from a vineyard planted in 1955 ("cincuenta y cinco" means "fifty five" in Spanish) that is worked organically and biodynamically. It fermented with full clusters and indigenous yeasts in concrete vats and was left to infuse with the grapes' aromas and flavors. Thirty percent of the wine was kept unoaked, while the rest matured in second and third use French barrels with the lees. This is truly unbelievable. Even Piero Incisa della Rocchetta doesn't understand how they managed to get a wine with such low alcohol and high energy and freshness in a vintage like 2017. 20,829 bottles and 150 magnums were filled in December 2017.

Dried strawberries, blueberries and hints of subtle mint. Full-bodied, tight and structured with steely tannins and bright, flavorful fruit. Muscular and toned. You eat the grapes and this is what you get. Transparent. Needs two to three years to soften. Try in 2021.