Pinot Noir 'Tara' Bodega Ventisquero 2020
The Pinot Noir “Tara” from Bodega Ventisquero is a fine South American interpretation of an elegant red like Pinot. Harvested in the Atacama region, where the 'camanchaca', the morning fog that rises from the Pacific, brushes against the vines and helps maintain great freshness. The nose is complex, with fruity notes of Morello cherry and raspberries introducing slight hints of underbrush and notes of mushroom on the finish. On the palate, it has a good body, with tight tannins, pleasant intensity, tension, and minerality on the finish. Best paired with red meat or 'cazuela de vacuno', a typical Chilean beef stew.
Bodega Ventisquero introduces the Pinot Noir ‘Tara’, a articulate and elegant interpretation capable of showcasing the excellent attributes that Pinot Noir takes on in the cool desert of the Huasco Valley, located in the Chilean region of Atacama. It is peculiar that in this area the annual climatic variations are practically nonexistent, with the harvest taking place at the same time every year, in this case between late February and early March. From the wide selection of Bodega Ventisquero, this label belongs to one of the premium lines, designed to showcase the winemaking vocation of Atacama with its characteristic cool and arid climate.
The Pinot Noir ‘Tara’ from Bodega Ventisquero is a 100% Pinot Noir grown on alluvial limestone soils in the Huasco Valley. The climate is heavily influenced by the Pacific Ocean, just 15-20 kilometers away, with the vineyards in the morning enveloped by characteristic mists, locally called “camanchaca”, swept away by the cold and strong ocean winds. After the harvest, the grapes are subjected to a cold maceration of 5-7 days, with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation entrusted respectively to indigenous yeasts and bacteria in steel tanks. The mass is subsequently aged for 60% in large oak barrels and for the remaining part in concrete eggs for 2 years. Throughout the entire processing, the liquid is not subjected to any clarification or filtration.
In the glass, the ‘Tara’ Bodega Ventisquero Pinot Noir displays a light ruby red mantle. The nose offers crisp aromas of sour cherry, raspberry, and dog rose, enriched by notes of underbrush and slight fungal hints on the finish. Complex and intense tasting, fresh and caressing, with velvety tannins that anticipate the pleasant tension of the epilogue.