The difficulty of making great Pinot Noir is legendary in wine circles. There are really only a handful of places that are making this grape in its classic style. Luigi Bosca from Argentina makes a Pinot Noir amongst their wide range of offerings. That's the wine I'm looking at today. Very few South American PInots have impressed me over the years but I'm always curious to see what's out there.
The 2006 Luigi Bosca Pinot Noir is 100% varietal. The grapes for this wine were harvested from a single vineyard source in Mendoza. "El Paraiso" vineyard sits more than 780 Meters above sea level. This Pinot was aged for 8 months in French oak. The suggested retail price for this wine is $18.
Wild strawberry, bing cherry and subtler but present vanilla notes are the most dominant characteristics in the nose of this Argentine Pinot Noir. Looking at it in the glass it has a slightly darker hue than what is most often typical of Pinot Noir. Think dark cherry in color more than strawberry. From the very first sip sour cherry notes and subtle leather characteristic come out and carry through the mid-palate along with dark plum and emerging earth notes. The earth becomes more prominent on the finish, accompanied by light mushroom and mocha notes. The wine is well balanced with well integrated oak and persistent acidity.
What I like best about this Pinot Noir is how elegant, layered and refined it is for a South American Pinot Noir. It easily outclasses many of the other Pinot's I've had from this region. While it's a bit fuller in the middle than a typical Pinot from Burgundy or Oregon it still manages to lean towards delicate. For a suggested retail price of $18, this wine offers plenty of true varietal character.
Up Next: Malbec from Argentina’s Luigi Bosca
Imported by: Testa Wines of The World Ltd.
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