Cono Sur and the history of Chilean Pinot Noir
Did you know that Chile’s history with Pinot Noir is directly connected to Cono Sur? The first vine planted in the country, back in 1968, was planted in what is today our Santa Elisa Estate.
Aware of this variety’s great potential we started in 1999 the “Pinot Noir Project” with the goal to produce the best Chilean Pinot Noir. For this, we decided to follow the traditional Burgundy methods which allowed us to create unique, expressive and proudly Chilean Pinot Noir wines.
Chilean Pinot Noir: the secrets of the world-famous variety
Without a doubt, owning the first vines planted in the country contributed to Cono Sur’s mission to create the best Chilean Pinot Noir. However, there’s a key element to the story: the support of the French winemaker MartÃn Prieur.
Being an experienced winemaker from Burgundy, Prieur was the perfect advisor for the “Pinot Noir Project”, together with Cono Sur’s chief winemaker, they were able to identify and select the best valleys in Chile to grow the variety, vineyards that delivered the right soil and climate; the optimal conditions to obtain the best possible grape, that is known for its complexity.
Prieur also helped with the design and construction of our wine cellar, exclusively used for the Pinot Noir variety, where we follow the traditional Burgundy methods, setting the ground for the production of great wines.
All of the above contributed directly to our goal: to produce the best Chilean Pinot Noir, as we can see in two of our most appreciated wines:
- Ocio Pinot Noir is Cono Sur’s icon wine. A Chilean Pinot Noir with raspberries and red cherries aromas perfectly combined with notes of tobacco and spices.
- 20 Barrels Pinot Noir: An ultra-premium Pinot Noir, aged in carefully selected barrels, chosen by their level of toast and French origin, factors that directly influence the quality of the wine.
In the other hand, is worth mentioning that our commitment with the environment goes hand in hand with the task of producing a quality Pinot Noir. Cono Sur has more than 300 hectares destined to organic production, 70 of them are Pinot Noir, distributed in San Antonio and Colchagua Valleys. This has allowed us to produce an acclaimed Organic Pinot Noir, with a dark ruby color, notes of wild berries, soft oaky hints and smooth tannins.
Even though Pinot Noir is originally from Burgundy, in Cono Sur we have searched for the right conditions to produce, in national soil, a grape that is so appreciated by wine lovers from all over the world. That’s how we got to San Antonio and Casablanca valleys, where the right climatic conditions and soil features create the perfect terroir for the Chilean Pinot Noir.