Clos des Fous Pinot Noir 2021

dried cherries, fresh strawberries, cinnamon sticks, grains of paradise and pipe tobacco

There is so much cool to say about this wine that it will be hard to stay at the 200 word limit. To start, the Clos des Fous winery was founded by a group of progressive winemakers in 2008, led by Pedro Parra. While not a household name he is one of the most sought after vineyard managers in the world, working with elite estates in California and France in addition to his native Chile. He and his partners have sought out unique terroirs to craft their wines, but at the same time working to keep the wines approachable and affordable. This example, from a tiny 4.5 acre vineyard in the Itata region is an excellent example of their efforts.

In full disclosure this wine is actually 88% Pinot and 12% Cinsault, interplanted and harvested at the same time. The grapes are destemmed and then cold-soaked for 10 days in concrete tanks to extract color and complexity before fermentation. This creates a surprisingly savory nose of dried cherries, fresh strawberries, cinnamon sticks, grains of paradise and pipe tobacco. On the palate this wine shows really nice freshness to start, with some richness building into the finish. Drink this wine with grilled salmon brushed with chimmichuri or pesto or a stuffed pork tenderloin with roasted peppers and sun dried tomatoes.