ALKO : Pinot Noir Las Brisas 2011 by Viña Leyda (Chile, San Antonio)

Producer: Viña Leyda (belongs to Viña San Pedro)

Wine: Las Brisas Pinot Noir

Vintage: 2011

Origin: Chile, San Antonio & Leyda, Leyda Valley, Las Brisas

Price range: 10-15€ (Finland, Alko)

Available at Alko: Yes (02/13), 475537

Today I change a bit the presentation to make it more clear. Tribute to many a wine blog I know… I must acknowledge that this is more practical and easier to read.

Las Brisas Pinot Noir by Viña Leyda is a classic from Alko. The earliest vintage I tasted is 2008 (not the best vintage ever). It has always delivered and it consistently got better. This bottle is however a little bit problematic as there is a strong reduction in the nose at the opening.

Reduction (as a defect) is not an accurate word but it describes, by opposition to oxidation, the state of a lack of oxygen. Reduction happens in young wines, with specific grapes or specific winemaking… It is usually not « lethal » to the wine, the wine just needs breathing through decanting or just ageing. This reduction issue is more and more common with the growing number of red wines bottled under screwcap. It is all the stronger with reductive grapes (Pinot Noir and Syrah). If reduction is due to the screwcap, it can sometimes be almost unfixable: I had one bottle which required three (!) days of decanting before getting rid of the smell. In the present case, the bottle needed a lot of breathing (maybe a night) but it was drinkable after a couple of hours of decanting.

Besides this very strong smell of wet socks, one could find a very nice red fruit and slight spices (pepper). The wine is well balanced and structured enough. The mouth was much better a nice balance of cherry, aromatic herbs and discrete earthiness. Very balanced in terms of alcohol, acidity and sweetness. In the mouth, it is one of the best Las Brisas I have tasted. This is an inbetween classic and modern style Pinot Noir. It is not over ripe and over extracted as sometimes Pinot Noir can be in Chile (like Ocio 2009, by Cono Sur, which tasted like a Syrah a few month ago) but it is far more fruity than a Burgundy version of the grape. I can only advise this wine and recommend cellaring it for a year or two to get the best out of it. It already improved greatly since the original release.

Wineops’ rating: 76/100 ; 5 + (the rating would probably have been higher without the reduction)

 

ALKO: Muga Reserva 2007 by Bodegas Muga (Spain, Rioja)

Bodegas Muga is a Spanish wine producer located in the Rioja Alta. La Rioja is actually divided in three parts: la Rioja Alta, la Rioja Alavesa and la Rioja Baja. The later is the easiest to cultivate, the soils are rich and the climate is warmer… therefore the wines are in general less refined. The two first subregions however are the real deal. Like many regions in Spain, Rioja is mostly planted of the local variety of Tempranillo but they have started to replant other local grapes that have long been underestimated or underused: these are Graciano, Mazuelo (Carignan) and the most known Garnacha (Grenache). Bodegas Muga is a 200 ha estate and buys grape from an extra 150ha. Therefore it is an medium sized to average wine producer of the region (the estates in Rioja are rather big, Marques de Riscal sources from over 1 500 ha).

This Muga Reserva is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache and a mix of Graciano and Mazuelo to finish. The ageing is 24 month in a mix of barrels from France, USA… then, according to the Rioja rules, it is aged for a minimum of 12 more months in bottle (this, contrary to the compulsory oak ageing is a very good rule).

When opened, the wine displays a very unpleasant charred nose. It is a mix of burned gum and charred oak, probably the smell of the slightly too long oak ageing. This imposes decanting. Half an hour does the trick. Then, this bad note disappears. The wine has a beautiful nose of black cherry, pepper and tobacco. There is also a hint of old wooden furniture… extremely soft and pleasant. The mouth displays the same harmony and somehow peacefulness. We find back the black cherry alongside a hint of strawberry and raspberry (especially in the finish). Spices are stronger and the black pepper brings a good balance. The wine is well integrated, not dominated buy the oak, with a very nice freshness. The finish is long, fruity. This is not a huge and fantastic wine but it is pretty delicious. I recommend it.

Wineops’ Rating: 78/100 ; 5 +

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Muga Reserva 2007 by Bodegas Muga