NV Porfiado 8 Anadas 2009 - 2016

The non-vintage Michelini Bros Profiado Pinot Noir comes from the 2009 vintage (60%) and from the 2010 vintage (40%) that, sadly, has no plans to be commercialized. It is imbued with an arresting bouquet: blackberry, flint and smoke with quite amazing purity. The palate is silky smooth with superb acidity. It gets to the essence of Pinot Noir, stylistically halfway between Cote de Beaune and Napa, but with superb cohesion and purity. They get the fineness of the tannins that seems to be lost on so many Argentinean Pinots. No, not perfect, but quite exceptional. Drink now-2017. Let me state for the record that playing Radiohead in the background while I taste wines has absolutely no bearing on my judgment. You could play Kenny G and it would not change a thing. To be fair, the three Michelini brothers were soothing their sensitive, prenatal wines in their concrete eggs with music rather than trying to subliminally influence my opinion, but even if they were attempting to enhance my sentiments, there was absolutely no need, since these were some of the most intriguing wines I tasted during my entire trip to South America. Their passion and commitment, their spirituality and, for want of a better word, “purity” in terms of doing what they do for the love of it rather than financial reward, bought to mind the Lopez de Heredia sisters in Rioja. If you want cutting edge, meticulously crafted Argentinean wines hot footed from one of the most exciting sub-regions (Gualtallary), then look no further than Zorzal or indeed, Passionate Wines (the solo venture of Matias Michelini). I get the sense that they are still feeling their way and not prone to misjudgment, for example, over-egging Climax Malbec with otiose French oak. But there is an intellectual side to these wines, a captivating experimental, devil-may-care attitude that is struck through their wines. This is only the beginning. Importer: Delectatio Wines; www.delectatiowines.com