Amelia Pinot Noir Limari Valley 2020
Amelia was Chile's first serious Pinot Noir, and it still surprises people who think Chile is all Cabernet. This one comes from the Limarí Valley in the country's far north — coastal, semi-desert, with red clay soils packed with stone and calcium carbonate. That chalky influence is the whole point: it gives the Pinot a cool, mineral cut you rarely find at this latitude.
Made by Concha y Toro's Marcelo Papa, the 2020 is 100% Pinot Noir, hand-picked and gravity-fed, with a portion of whole clusters and a long, cold maceration before barrel ageing. On the nose it is cherry, gentle spice and rose. The palate is velvety but lean, with refined, compact tannins and a taut, almost skeletal, mineral drive — this is Pinot built on precision rather than plushness. Distinctive, and genuinely different.
Lovely now; it will hold and gain nuance over the next four or five years.
How to Serve
Serve at 14–16°C in a Burgundy glass. A light chill and twenty minutes' air suit its cool, mineral style; no decant needed.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot Soho, a natural fit for a mineral, cool-climate Pinot. Or Bentley's for something from the sea alongside it.
Food Pairings
Seared tuna with a peppercorn crust. Or duck breast if you want to lean into the fruit.
