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BODEGA NOEMIA

An oasis in the midst of the Patagonian desert.

Trigger to the project of Bodega Noemia de Patagonia was the finding of an ancient Malbec vineyard, that was planted in the 30's somewhere in the Rio Negro Valley. A distant journey to reach the spot; some 620 miles southwards of Buenos Aires, some 280 miles eastwards of the Andes, 310 miles westwards of the Atlantic or a further 1240 miles from Tierra del Fuego.

Partners in this project, Italian wine producer Countess Noemi Marone Cinzano and Danish winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers found the place and the valley's microclimate perfect for wine grape growing. The magnificence of the Rio Negro Valley, which is influenced by two rivers deriving from the Andes, the Neuquen and the Limay, had already been discovered in 1828 by British colonists, who decided to dig channels to irrigate the valley and create an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Every gesture at the estate is done manually, under the supervision of the winemaker Hans Vinding-Diers. The grapes are picked by hand in the very early morning and brought directly to the winery. In the afternoon, each single bunch is controlled, cleaned and the bunches are destalked berry by berry by hand. Once the alcoholic fermentation has come to an end, the must is decanted by gravity into 2 thirds 100% new and one third 200% new French Radoux barrels. The bottling is also performed by gravity and without any filtering. The wine never sees a machine, at Bodega Noemia, everything is handmade. No sulphur or other kind of chemicals are added. All of the wines produced are certified Organic/Biodynamic.

BODEGA NOEMIA 2008 $139.95 Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. 100% malbec; vines planted 1932; 3112 bottles made 95/100 Gorgeous fruitcake, anise and incense notes lead the way for a rich but superracy palate of freshly crushed boysenberry, fig and blackberry fruit. Black tea, spice and graphite notes course through the finish, where the latent grip lurks. This will need some cellaring. Malbec. Best from 2011 through 2018. 264 cases made. –JM Oct 2010 Wine Spectator
BODEGA NOEMIA J. Alberto 2009 $61.95 J. Alberto Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. Field blend of 95% malbec, 5% merlot; vines planted 1955; 11,000 bottles made 92/100 This dark, inviting red offers superracy graphite and anise notes carrying mouthwatering plum sauce, boysenberry and plum compote flavors through the long finish, where the graphite note takes an encore. Malbec and Merlot. Drink now through 2013. 920 cases made. –JM Oct 2010 Wine Spectator
BODEGA NOEMIA A. LISA 2009 $41.95 A. Lisa Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. 90% malbec, 9% merlot, 1% petit verdot; vines planted 2004; 40,000 bottles made 90/100 Dark and ripe, but fresh and racy, with a streak of damson plum moving through the blackberry and boysenberry fruit, backed by lingering sweet spice, tobacco and graphite notes on the finish. Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2012. 3,330 cases made. –JM Oct 2010 Wine Spectator

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BODEGA CHACRA

Pioneering wine in Patagonia Part II

Next door to Bodega Noemia, Bodega Chacra is a winery devoted to pinot noir. Bodega Noemia and Chacra share the 1955 and 1932 vineyards, which are old field blends of Malbec and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Hans Vinding also makes the wines here.

In 2004, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, from the renowned winemaking family responsible for the creation and success of Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), purchased the first of vineyard land, which is now Bodega Chacra. At the time this was a property with an existing, though abandoned, vineyard planted in 1932, over seventy years ago. Piero was called from his multigenerational Italian winemaking family to the southern hemisphere, compelled by the goal to produce world-class Pinot Noir from uncharted and untested territory.

This singular vineyard at Bodega Chacra is of thick, pure, gnarled Pinot Noir vines, plants from their own rootstock producing tiny bunches of small, concentrated berries which are harvested by hand. No automated mechanization is used at any stage of the production process. The grapes are refrigerated to preserve the freshness of their fruit, and then hand de-stemmed and sorted before moving to cement tanks for fermentation.

Winemaking continues at Bodega Chacra with an organic and biodynamic approach, in the most natural manner and the first wine vinified at the estate is “Treinta y Dos.” When the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the wine is transferred off the skins into small French oak barrels in the most gentle manner possible, by gravity, without pressing or filtering. Bottling takes place around the first week of March without fining or filtration. The objective is for the oak, the fruit and the nuances of the soil to marry perfectly so that the influence of the wood is nearly imperceptible in the wine and the vine and character of the land are expressed to their fullest.

Following the acquisition of the 1932 vineyard, and preceding the 2006 vintage, Piero discovered and purchased two additional old vine Pinot Noir vineyards. This acquisition allowed for the making of two additional Bodega Chacra wines. The first, from a vineyard planted in 1955, is referred as “Cincuenta y Cinco.” The second wine called “Barda” (“The Ridge”) is a blend of “declassified” grapes from the single-vineyard wines coupled with grapes from a fifteen year old vineyard which is located on the original 1932 property.

“Chacra represents the boutique of the boutique, turning out handcrafted, delicately styled Pinot Noirs that are worth the effort to find.”- James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

'Hands down, this is the finest Pinot Noir from South America that I’ve ever tasted...as elegant as Burgundy but as full of flavor as something from California.' - Michael Schachner, Wine Enthusiast

Chacra 'Trienta Y Dos' Pinot Noir 2009 $139.95 A. Lisa Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. Pinot Noir; vines planted 1932; 489 cases made 92/100 Dark and ripe, delivering alluring blackberry and raspberry fruit, but stays racy and fresh, with lots of licorice, graphite, violet and anise notes rippling through the lengthy, Well-focused finish. Drink now through 2013.  –JM Dec 2010 Wine Spectator
Chacra 'Cincuenta Y Cinco' Pinot Noir 2009 $89.95 J. Alberto Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. Pinot Noir; vines planted 1955; 666 cases made 91/100 This is tightly focused, displaying a pure, snappy core of red currant, red licorice and sagebrush, backed by a racy finish. Bright acidity is well-integrated throughout, and this should flesh out nicely with modest cellaring. Drink now through 2012. 666 cases made. –JM Dec 2010 Wine Spectator
BODEGA CHACRA 'BARDA' PINOT NOIR 2009 $41.95 Rio Negro Valley, Patagonia, ARG. Pinot Noir; 2357 cases made 90/100 Shows a nice crushed dark cherry fruit profile, with focused spice, mineral and briar notes laid out on the medium-weight finish. Juicy and racy. –JM Nov 2009 Wine Spectator