TN: A damned good Franco-Chilean pinot from W. Fevre

WINE TALK
1

I had another of William Fevre’s Chilean wines recently – a syrah, I think – that didn’t wow me. But when I saw this, the William Fevre - 2007 Gran Cuvee Pinot Noir - Valle del Maipo for $20 I figured I’d take a chance on this. Pinot made by a Chablis producer in Chile. Go figure.

Go figure, and what a value!

Nice, tart pinot nose of sour cherries. Could almost be mistaken for a Cotes de Beane – a 2005 Tollot-Beaut Savigny, perhaps, though less grapy and intense than those. In the mouth, this is a bit more New World-ish, but with everything in check. A bit more fruit than you’d get in a Burgundy, but quite restrained, and with perfect balance, and a moderate amount of tannin and acid to sustain it. Someone guessed an Oregon pinot, which was an intelligent assessment. (The label said 14.5%, but I found that hard to believe.)

I gave this 86+, and I’d rather drink this than 98% of all California pinots I know. I haven’t drunk enough Oregon wines to place it in a percentile there, but I’m sure at $20 it would have little competition in the Northwest. Definitely something to seek out if you you’re curious to see what can be done with pinot in the New World.

2

Thanks for the note, John. I am intrigued by the freshness of the fruit given the latitude (similar to Los Angeles in CA). Maybe I need to find one of these.

3

I’d be very curious to hear your take on it, Kevin. Wine Searcher only pulls up hits in the NYC area, though. If you think you’ll be back this way, I’d happily go get another bottle and put it aside for you.

The Oregon guess was the best one, though the flavors are more earthy and less fruity than more Oregon’s I’ve had. For the price, it’s outstanding, I think.

4

Starting to be more and more interesting Chilean Pinots as they plant more in the cooler growing areas. Will be interesting to see how well they do once the vines get more age on them. Could be the next Pinot goldmine.