Well… that was a pleasant surprise.. Cono Sur ‘s “Bicicleta” Pinot Noir, Chile
Is it April Fools’ Day? A decent Pinot Noir for under $11? Well, I have to say that we were surprised. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Cono Sur’s Bicicleta Pinot Noir.
2011 Cono Sur (Connoisseur… get it?) “Bicicleta” Pinot Noir, Chile $10.95
When one judges wine at competition level there is always a collective weary sigh when it is revealed that one’s panel has the unenviable task of tasting a flight of “Pinot Noir Under $15”. Any bottling with even a semblance of Pinot character or typicity scores highly as… well… I think that it is nigh impossible to capture anything close to the essence of Pinot Noir at that particular price point. I’m not being a snob here, it’s just a fact.
To quote Wikipedia:
Typicity (French typicité, Italian tipicità) is a term in wine tasting used to describe the degree to which a wine reflects its varietal origins, and thus demonstrate the signature characteristics of the grape from which it was produced, i.e., how much a Merlot wine “tastes like a Merlot”. It is an important component in judging wine competition when wines of the same varietal are judged against each other.[1]\
And so it was with considerable surprise I opened a freshly couriered bottle of Cono Sur’s Biceleta Pinot Noir for my monthly Chatelaine column, wholly believing that most of it would end up in the stock I was roasting bones for, and amazingly it ticked all of the correct boxes.
Delicious Strawberries. Check.
Delicious Raspberries. Check.
Delicious Candied Red Cherries. Check.
A pleasant floral element. Check.
Decent Acidity. Check. (Probably adjusted, but what the hell)
Soft supple tannins. Check. (Serious tannin management methinks)
A wad of toasty oak. Check. (40% from barrels apparently… Hmmmm… I don’t know about that)
Reasonable Alcohol (13%). Check.
And there you have it.
A Pinot Noir for those nights when Côtes de Nuits just doesn’t cut it.
It is textbook modern New World Pinot Noir at a seriously wallet-friendly price. It’s not going to be a wine to philosophise over, but then what do you expect for $11?
I think that it may be one of the best value reds I have tasted in quite some time.
P.S. According to my sources it will be available at the LCBO sometime very soon.
P.P.S. According to my sources the LCBO website is out of date.
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Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And he didn’t pick up on the Connoisseur pun until this morning.
