During the week I write very often about Italian wines. I like to write posts at least once a week about wines from New World countries. Today’s post is about Chile, a Pinot Noir that I tasted from Montgras.

I visited Montgras when I went to Chile in 2008. I can’t believe that is 10 years ago already but that’s another matter. I remember the winery was family owned and they were lovely. The winery is located in Colchagua but this Pinot Noir comes from grapes grown in the vineyards located in cooler coastal Leyda Valley as well as Colchagua. 85% of the grapes that go into this wine are grown in Leyda and 15% in Colchagua. The grapes are the Dijon clone 777-115.

The Colchagua Valley vineyards are protected by the Andes Mountain Range to the east and the Coastal Mountain Range to the west. The area has low humidity, Ocean’s maritime influence and breezes from the Andes make for healthy grapes.

The winery has really expanded since I visited in 2008. Now you can do a range of activities there including harvest, masterclasses on wine, tastings, hiking, and much else. The winery was started by Brothers Hernán and Eduardo Gras and their partner Cristián Hartwig founded the winery in 1993.

For this particular wine, which I received as a wine sample to taste, went through a cold maceration for 3-5 days and then add selected yeasts. The wine ages in old Burgundy barrels for eight months.

I liked this easy drinking Pinot. It had nice notes of red fruits, bramble and forest floor and slight barnyard notes too. I also thought the acidity gave it good backbone and made it a great wine to pair with food. I had it with chicken I had prepared.

I’d like to try their Amaral Brut blancs de blanc made from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Maybe someday I will. I need to look through my photos again from that magical trip. I loved Chile and can’t wait to go back someday. Saludos!