Wino of the month
Pinot Noir, “Las Brisas”, Viña Leyda, Leyda valley, San Antonio, Chile. 2005. 14%
 Chile’s Leyda valley forms part of the larger San Antonio valley, just six miles from the Pacific Ocean, hidden in the mountains west of Santiago. The new vineyards planted here are the closest to the sea and hence the coolest of any in Chile. Formerly an area devoted to pasture, wheat and barley, a handful of small boutique wineries are now discovering the huge potential for cool climate grapes such as Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Viña Leyda was established in 1997 by the Fernandez family and the Las Brisas vineyard was planted in 1998, on granite based soils facing southwest. The maritime influence and shade from the sun means that the grapes ripen slowly, creating more complex aromas and flavours while preserving freshness and keeping the alcohol under control.
After fermentation the new wine is aged in French oak barrels for 8 months, but no new oak is used. This allows the fruitiness of the wine to sing out.
A deep full colour, there is a clean fruity nose with red cherries, hints of raspberries and an attractive herbal note. It has a good balance of lively fresh acidity, alcohol and soft tannins. Full, rich and voluptuous yet refined, there are ripe flavours of red berries, blueberry and black cherry together with an appealing minerality.
Now think of your dinner plate piled high to the ceiling - Roast Turkey with both white and dark meats, bacon, cranberry sauce, sage, sausage or chestnut stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and then a host of vegetables including the ubiquitous Brussels Sprout – all those conflicting strong flavours pose a real challenge to any wine.
Traditional European wines often find it hard to cope with all this and that’s where riper New World fruit holds the advantage. Leyda Pinot is a really good choice that takes all the excesses of Christmas fare in its stride, plus it offers excellent value too.
And afterwards, a glassful makes for the ideal accompaniment when dozing through the Queens Speech or doing the washing up!
Oddbins £7.99
Sainsbury’s £8.54
Noel Young Wines £9.99
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