Apaltagua, San Antonio Valley (Chile) Pinot Noir 2012

I’ve been drumming my fingers on tabletops for years while waiting for Chile and Argentina to get things right with Pinot Noir.  Both countries have a zillion options regarding latitude and altitude, so success has seemed inevitable, yet results continue to disappoint, year after year.  Here is an exceedingly welcome departure from that rule.  The wine shows wonderful purity and delicacy that is appropriate to the grape variety, yet not at the cost of faint aromas or shallow flavors.  Subtle oak is very nicely tuned to the wine’s weight, and likewise the tannins are appropriately soft and unobtrusive.  Delicious now, this will likely improve for another 3 or 4 years at a minimum.