I was excited to taste through some Chilean pinot noir, so I got 4 bottles at the supermarket in Santiago.
Chile’s climate is very similar to California’s, so there are a lot of cool coastal regions. Pinot Noir is not that common though in Chile, but after tasting through 4 of them I think that Chilean pinot noir from Casablanca, San Antonio, and other cool climate regions have lots of potential.
The best (and most expensive) I tasted was the 2006 Casa Marin Litoral Vineyard from Lo Abarca-San Antonio. Very complex and tasty. The San Pedro Castillo de Molina pinot noir was also a really nice light-colored fruity wine.
I didn’t hear about Casa Marin on my trip to Chile a year ago. Everyone was excited about Casa Lapostolle because of their Wine Spectator #1 wine of the year award. But, Casa Marin might be the real deal. Chileans know of Casa Marin for its proximity to the coast. Maria Luz Marin was at the Annual Wines of Chile Awards that The Global Wine Industry was at, and she asked a question about marketing and the panel told her to use the Internet to connect with customers…
