Bodega Chacra 2017 Pinot Noir 'Treinta Y Dos" 750ml

The top-of-the-range 2017 Treinta y Dos is always released later than the other reds, as the élevage here is longer. The year was extremely low yielding and with natural concentration, a year of freakishly high temperatures (they had eight days at 53 degrees Celsius during their Christmas!). Grapes were healthy but smaller and they decided to pick extra early (this is also 12.5% alcohol), so the wine is less reflective of the natural weather conditions. The full clusters fermented in open-top vats, and the élevage was 35% in concrete and the rest in used barrels and lasted for 14 months. There are notes of cherries, and there is a savoriness—almost saltiness—that makes it very tasty. The wine is integrated and balanced; there is a faint touch of volatility that lifts up the wine and helps to keep the freshness and poise. This is a superb effort for a very unusual year, but all the 2017s were great here. 6,696 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2019.

Score: 97 points -- Luis Gutierrez, Robertparker.com, Oct 2019