Vina Tabali : Talinay Pai Pinot Noir 2020

Tasting Notes and Recommendations for Talinay Pai Pinot Noir 2020 from Viña Tabali

Tasting

Color
The wine displays a bright wild-cherry hue.

Nose
The bouquet reveals aromatic complexity marked by notes of damp earth and undergrowth. Aromas of red fruits, fresh herbs and rose petals follow, rounded out by hints of sweet spices and sandalwood.

Palate
The attack stands out for its chalky texture and remarkable tension. The palate unveils pronounced minerality, supported by perfectly balanced freshness and an elegant smoothness. The structure is shaped by Talinay’s signature saline, austere character, enhanced by subtle, refined and nuanced tannins. Overall, it offers a straightforward balance and great elegance.

Food Pairing

This Talinay Pai Pinot Noir 2020 pairs harmoniously with hard cheeses, white meat and red meat.

Serving and Cellaring

The Talinay Pai Pinot Noir 2020 can be enjoyed now and will continue to develop until around 2030.

An outstanding Chilean Pinot Noir from the coastal Limarí Valley

The Estate

Founded in 2002 by Guillermo Luksic, the estate Viña Tabali is the first modern winery in the Limarí Valley, located in the Coquimbo region in northern Chile. The vineyards cover 151 hectares spread across three exceptional sites: Talinay, 12 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean on marine limestone soils that are rare in Chile; Río Hurtado at 1,600 meters in elevation; and DOM in the Maipo Valley. Under the direction of Nicolas Luksic, the estate stands out for its remarkable minerality, the freshness brought by the Camanchaca coastal fog, and a minimal-intervention philosophy that reveals the authentic expression of these extreme terroirs.

The Vineyard

The Talinay Pai Pinot Noir comes from a very specific parcel within the Talinay vineyard in the Limarí Valley. This 1.15-hectare parcel is distinguished by its north-facing aspect and a steep 30% slope. It lies at 150 meters above sea level and only 12 kilometers from the Pacific. The terroir is made up of limestone soils from ancient marine terraces, porous and fractured, allowing for deep rooting. The own-rooted vines, planted in 2012 at very high density (12,500 vines per hectare), come from two mass selections from Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy. The site benefits from a very cool coastal climate with a constant ocean breeze, summer highs around 23.5°C, and proximity to Fray Jorge National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The Vintage

The 2020 vintage in the Coquimbo region was shaped by cool coastal conditions, enabling slow, gradual ripening of the grapes. Harvest took place on February 4, 2 to 3 weeks later than in other Chilean coastal areas, reflecting the site’s outstanding freshness.

Winemaking and Aging

The grapes for Talinay Pai Pinot Noir 2020 were hand-harvested into 20-kg crates, with careful grape selection. Winemaking began with destemming 60% of the grapes, while the remaining 40% were vinified as whole clusters. After 7 days of cold maceration at 8°C, alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts took place in small stainless-steel tanks at temperatures between 20 and 26°C. Gentle manual pump-overs were carried out, followed by a short post-fermentation maceration. Full malolactic fermentation preceded 12 months of aging in French oak barrels sourced from the forests of Fontainebleau, Jupille, Bertrange, Tronçais and Allier.

Grape Variety

This Chilean red wine is 100% Pinot Noir.