Los Parientes Pinot Noir 2023

This wine comes from a 9-hectare vineyard named Los Suizos, planted on volcanic soils by Francisco Baettig in the Malleco region. It is a land of wild forests, magnificent lakes, active volcanoes, and abundant rainfall, located in southern Chile. It is also where Francisco's Swiss ancestors settled in the late 19th century. The Pinot Noir grapes were hand-picked in the Traiguén area. The wine is made from 15% whole bunches and the rest destemmed. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged for 10 months in oak barrels, 10% of which are new. This wine reveals notes of morello cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, blueberry, wildflowers, blond tobacco, smoked stone , and dried herbs. Round and juicy on the palate, the fruitiness is tempered by superb acidity and earthy nuances.

It was Hernán Cortés who ordered, upon the conquest of Mexico, the cultivation of vines in 1524. It gradually extended from Mexico southwards to reach Chile in 1555. During the first 3 centuries of colonization, there was no Cultivated in Chile as país, a black grape variety without character and very productive. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that noble varieties were introduced: mainly cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Twenty years later, winemaking was modernized under the leadership of wealthy owners and French experts who were forced into unemployment by phylloxera in Europe. Chile stretches 4,300 kilometers from north to south. It is wedged between the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, the Patagonian plains and glaciers to the south. These natural barriers prevented phylloxera from entering the country. Although the country is only 160 kilometers wide, it has ideal conditions for growing warm, intermediate and cool grape varieties, so much so that it is often described as a paradise for growing grapes. With nearly 300 properties producing bottled wines, Chile fluctuates between 6th and 8th place in the world.