Kingston Family Vineyards "Alazan" pinot noir

Alazan
Chile
Pinot noir


From Byron Kosuge, our winemaker: This wine comes mostly from one hill in the upper part of the vineyard where I thought the vines and soils looked particularly promising. There are three selections represented in this wine: the "Dijon selection" 777, and two Chilean field selections "Concha y Toro" and"Valdivieso." The vines in this part of the Casablanca Valley are naturally shy bearing, with small clusters of deeply colored berries. There are 4545 vines per hectare so each vine carries only a small amount of fruit, which it turned out was a good thing as the weather was turning decidedly cool before we harvested.

We made it in little one ton fermentors, punched by hand, with plenty of whole clusters--pretty much the same way my assistant Brian Denner (formerly of Williams Selyem) and I make Pinot Noir back here in the States. I am particularly excited by the combination of the long season, mild temperature (there's a strong marine influence, and the vineyard is at 1600 feet, so the nights are colder than at the coast) and intense sun (the southern hemisphere sun is stronger than in the north) that seems to me to be almost ideal for the growing of cool climate red wine grapes like Pinot Noir.

This wine I hope captures that elusive combination of vibrancy and generosity that I prize so highly in the best Pinot Noirs.