Chilean Pinot Noir, WTF?

After some light Internet research I have found an FCC regulation for bloggers. I am supposed to disclose if I have been in any way compensated in the form of money or wine. I am happy to say I am not popular enough for that to matter. I walked into my local wine shop to purchase, at my own expense, something that interested me. The plan was a Washington state Cabernet Sauvignon or perhaps a Merlot. I love the density of the fruit that grows there. Then I see a wine called Anakena, which reminded me of Anakin Skywalker and I was sold. Not that I am much of a Star Wars fan, but the name made me giggle a little bit so I was sold. So here it is, my review of the 2010 Anakena Pinot Noir from Rapel, Chile.

I have to admit that when I saw a Chilean Pinot Noir I thought WTF  is that (no, that does not stand for “Why The Face”)? Chile isn’t really known as a Pinot Noir growing area, but I was intrigued to try it. Besides, at $12.99 I figure, "why not"?  Chile is, after all, known for having great wine values. This wine is a single vineyard offering from Rapel Valley. Typically single vineyard wines are great expressions of terroir and, as such, can be great learning tools. Terroir, btw, is a French term referring to the earth from which the wine grows. Anyone who wants to improve their blind tasting ability should really focus on single vineyard wines to pick up on the characteristics of the soil in any particular region. This Pinot started off GREEN with some clove-type spice and black pepper.  I noticed acid up front with round earthy, strawberry in the mid-palate and a juicy pomegranate finish.  I definitely noticed a little green bell pepper, which is typically my South American cue. There was also a nose reticent of bacon fat.  It does see a little bit of oak, although not enough to be readily apparent. There was some heat to both the nose and finish, an indicator of alcohol that isn’t particularly well integrated. This was a little surprising as the wine was only 13.5% abv. Chile is known for being extremely mountainous (you know the Andes) and rather rugged. This typically leads to very dense wines, although, that wasn’t really the case here. I wrote something else in my notes, but I can’t read my own writing there. It was at the bottom so the fact that I had about finished the bottle may explain that.

It was an impulse buying kind of day, although, aren’t they all? After buying the wine, I went to the grocery store to find something for dinner. Ribeyes were on sale. I know, I know, not a very good pairing, but I LOVE a good Ribeye. I rubbed them with a salt, sugar, pepper flake, whatever-else-type of rub and grilled them to a lovely Mid-Rare. The spiciness of the rub seemed to compliment the wine pretty well all in all.  The acid in the fore palate cut through the fattiness of the steak enough to cleanse my palate which made my next bite seem brand new.  It was a synergistic pairing for the most part.  The wine was good, but not great. It was only $12.99, so pound-for-pound not a bad deal.  It wasn’t what I would call a “steal” but a decent value. Time to break out my all-new ratings system; I’m calling it the arrow system. So, out of 5 possible arrows I give this wine a 3. I’d call it reasonable Pinot Noir for the price, but it won’t go on my list of steals … which I haven’t created yet.

Please post feedback as I am still adding content. Suggestions for content or wines I should look into are always appreciated. Thank you to all those who have supported my writing so far. This is a labor of love and I certainly do love my wine.

Cheers,

E