Chilean Pinot Noir

The last time Chilean Pinot Noir was tackled by a Decanter panel, the results featured in the October 2019 magazine issue and the report sang of, ‘stellar results [with] plenty of diversity, character and excitement’. The write-up noted a steady progression in quality and resultant ratings over previous tastings in 2016 and 2013.

So does this ‘somewhat disappointing’ tasting (to cite the words of Alistair Cooper MW) reflect a faltering in the momentum of Chile’s great Pinot push? Certainly the raw numbers suggest a dip in form. In the 2019 tasting, 40% of wines scored 90 points or more, while 90% of wines were rated 86pts or more. The corresponding figures for this tasting were closer to 30% and 80%. As Dirceu Vianna Junior MW commented: ‘I went into this tasting with high expectations... but I wasn’t able to see much progress.’

As ever, the picture that emerges from a tasting like this is a nuanced one. One of the main bugbears (certainly for me) was a lack of consistency in style and quality. Too many wines lacked the freshness,