2015 Bodega Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco 750 ml

Not a Mirage, an Oasis — Argentina’s Answer to Grand Cru Red Burgundy

When the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is your grandfather, it can be difficult measuring up to his legacy. Who is he? Only the pioneering visionary who created the Super Tuscan. It was the Marchese who brought cuttings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast in the 1940s. He recognized that the raw, rocky soils — which had proved useless for growing the local Sangiovese — looked exactly like the ones from the First Growth vineyards in the Graves region of Bordeaux.

There was no path blazed before the Marchese. It was his passion for great Bordeaux wines and belief in his vineyards that inspired him to think differently. He took a risk, and that risk turned the world of wine on its head. He inspired a generation of growers, including his nephews Piero Antinori (Tignanello), and Ludovico Antinori (Ornellaia), and forever changed the landscape of the wine industry. His estate was Tenuta San Guido. The wine was Sassicaia.

Clearly his grandson Piero Incisa della Rocchetta had big shoes to fill. But Piero was never interested in taking over the Sassicaia estate, though he spent a good amount of time in his youth there, as well as much of his professional career. Just like his grandfather before him, Piero felt he needed to make his own way, blaze his own trail, and take his own risks.

Piero loved his grandfather’s gorgeously rich and full-bodied wines, but deep down it was Pinot Noir that stirred his soul. A frequent visitor to Burgundy, Piero admired the wines of Jean-Marie Fourrier and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. His heart’s desire was to grow Pinot Noir that could compete with these legendary domaines. He attempted to purchase an estate in Burgundy but soon realized the cost was prohibitively expensive — even for a Marchese! His home turf of Tuscany was a no-go because the climate and terroir weren’t suited for Pinot Noir.

In 2001, while blind-tasting with the winemakers of Sassicaia, Piero was floored by the beauty of a wine that he thought was a Grand Cru red Burgundy. The wine was silky, elegant, and high-pitched with sappy strawberry and blackberry fruit. When it was revealed that it was from Patagonia, Argentina, Piero nearly fell out of his chair. The only wines Piero knew from Argentina were Malbecs from Mendoza — wines that couldn’t be more different than Pinot Noir. He made it his mission to visit this estate in Patagonia, and more importantly, to find the winemaker.

When Piero made it to the Rio Negro Valley in Patagonia, he couldn’t believe what he saw — a desert vineyard lined with poplar trees, set in a cool, dry climate with a constant breeze blowing softly from the Andes Mountains. Sunlight so gently warm and golden he imagined he was back on the Tuscan coast. Plump, old vines of Pinot Noir originally planted in 1932 by Italian farmers looking for a better life.

This wasn’t a mirage — it was an oasis. Piero bought the vineyard on the spot.

Piero also tracked down the winemaker who made the Pinot Noir that he had tasted back in 2001. His name was Hans Vinding-Diers; by then he had his own label producing Patagonian Malbec called Bodega Noemìa. Piero convinced Hans to come aboard and in 2004 Bodega Chacra was founded.

The 2015 Bodega Chacra Pinot Noir “Cincuenta y Cinco” is sourced exclusively from a vineyard planted in 1955 (hence the name). Equidistant from the Atlantic Ocean and the Andes Mountains, the vineyard’s sandy, desert soils are irrigated through channels excavated in the 1800s by British colonists who directed the snowmelt from the Andes. The wind blowing from the mountains gives the Pinot Noir thick skins that contribute to the overall chewy texture of the wine.

Shimmering ruby-red in color, the exceptionally pretty nose has aromas of red cherries, strawberry, rhubarb, and rose petal. There’s a striking mineral edge to the silky textured flavors and ultra-refined tannins. This is a dead ringer for Chambolle-Musigny. Drink now-2025.

Bodega Chacra is now celebrated as an iconoclastic effort that stands alone, a world-class Pinot Noir floating above a sea of Malbec. We’re happy to report that Piero has done it, blazing his own trail and creating an oasis of excellence in a desert of conformity. In 2015, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate says “they had one of their best years since they started in 2004,” producing “phenomenal 2015s to enjoy” — this one pulled down 95 points.