2004 Casa Marin Lo Abarca Pinot Noir

O

Oswaldo Costa

Oswaldo Costa
Casa Marin is one of the most respected wineries in Chile. At a recent wine expo in Sao Paulo, I tasted a Cartagena pinot and a Cartagena cabernet from them that were garden variety high alcohol low acid spoof juice, but Alder from Vinography recently posted a positive report on their higher level Lo Abarca wines. Always quixotically willing to give my Andean neighbors a second chance:

2004 Casa Marin Lo Abarca Hills Pinot Noir Valle de San Antonio 14.5%
Elegant mature cherry with hints of eucalyptus and funk, with some alcohol heat. Lush mouth feel, but a bit too sweet from the high alcohol (definitely not a Burg). The oak is subtle and the acidity seems adequate, but runs on a parallel track, seemingly distinct from the fruit. Could be added, unless I'm addled.

Rant: a delicate grape like Pinot cannot possibly, I don't think, show at its best at such high alcohol levels, and I cant help wondering if the obviously fine fruit used here would have done its own nature more credit if picked at a lower sugar level (assuming that it were consistent with sufficient seed maturity). Winemakers seem fascinated with the challenge of making a good pinot noir outside Burgundy, but if your climate doesnt have the vocation for it, perhaps you should stick to hot-weather grapes, like syrah.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Rant: a delicate grape like Pinot cannot possibly, I don't think, show at its best at such high alcohol levels, and I cant help wondering if the obviously fine fruit used here would have done its own nature more credit if picked at a lower sugar level (assuming that it were consistent with sufficient seed maturity). Winemakers seem fascinated with the challenge of making a good pinot noir outside Burgundy, but if your climate doesnt have the vocation for it, perhaps you should stick to hot-weather grapes, like syrah.
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Oswaldo,
FWIW, I agree with you.
But I had a Russian River pinot from Fred Scherrer last night (2007) that was just lovely and reported 14.5% abv on the label. Maybe its the place, maybe its the vinification; maybe its just that sometimes it works and often, it doesn't.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
but if your climate doesnt have the vocation for it, perhaps you should stick to hot-weather grapes, like syrah.
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exactly! take kingston family vineyards. not a fan of the pn, but the syrah is, for south america, great. and it's cheaper...
 
I don't consider Syrah a hot weather grape. Taste wines from the Northern Rhone and then from the Southern Rhone and Languedoc made from Syrah and you can see why the N. Rhones are highly sought after. There are exceptions to all rules. I have tasted Fonsalette Syrah a couple of times with great pleasure. And I have enjoyed L'Aiguelere in Montpeyroux. Still, it's mostly better in cooler weather. Mouvedre, Carignane and Grenache are hot weather grapes.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
I don't consider Syrah a hot weather grape. Taste wines from the Northern Rhone and then from the Southern Rhone and Languedoc made from Syrah and you can see why the N. Rhones are highly sought after. There are exceptions to all rules. I have tasted Fonsalette Syrah a couple of times with great pleasure. And I have enjoyed L'Aiguelere in Montpeyroux. Still, it's mostly better in cooler weather. Mouvedre, Carignane and Grenache are hot weather grapes.
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I thought of syrah because it is common in Chile and Argentina, but yours are better options. Alder, from Vinography, went on a junket to Chile last month and liked the carignanes best out of everything he tried.
 
Syrah does better in places like Pic St. Loup, Faugres, Minervois than in most of the Languedoc because it gets a key element in those appellations: some altitude, which means cooler temperatures in daytime and particularly at night. Day-night temp differences in summer are crucial in preserving acidity in red wines and also in developing tannins and aromas - therefore creating the basis for future age-worthiness. In the northern Rhne the climate is much cooler. At Chteauneuf-du-Pape, vineyards are practically at sea level, and syrah becomes jammy and heavy. That's why I think the better CdP producers are cutting syrah levels in their blends - Beaucastel is increasing both mourvdre and, interestingly, counoise.

My (highly biased, naturally) opinion is that syrah does better on Spain's high plateaus, at altitudes of 2,500+ feet, than in the low lands of the southern Rhne, Languedoc and Roussillon.
 
DRC can be pretty high alcohol; I've had several at 13.5%, and some in the room thought they were pushing 14%. Good wines, although I'm not the biggest fan.
 
I'm still surprised Steve Edmunds doesn't make one, considering his regard for the grape. Were there a source for what he wanted, I bet he would.
 
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