Fresh and floral nose with tiles, vibrant red berries and pomegranate. Stony, mineral verve. Pure and expressive with good tension on the medium-bodied palate. Silky, very nimble and elegant. Acidic red berries in the finish that cleanse the palate. So much drinkability. Drink or hold. From biodynamically grown grapes.
96 POINTS JAMES SUCKLING
96 POINTS THE WINE FRONT
95 POINTS VINOUS
Cincuenta y Cinco comes from vineyards planted in 1955 which gently rest on a sea of pebbles, typical in riverbed soils.
Bodega Chacra is a wine producer in the Rio Negro Valley of northern Patagonia, in Argentina. It was established in 2004 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, whose grandfather was responsible for the iconic Italian wine Sassicaia. Chacra has three vineyards of very old Pinot Noir vines, and makes a range of premium Pinot Noir wines in Patagonia.
Incisa was initially inspired to create an estate in the Rio Negro Valley in 2001 after a chance blind tasting of a Pinot Noir from the region. He bought a vineyard with vines that had been planted as far back as 1932, and were on their original root systems.
Bodega Chacra has since added two more old-vine Pinot Noir vineyards to its holdings – the first planted in 1955 and the second in 1967.
The bodega is named for a farming method used in Patagonia – "chacra" is the local word for a square farm divided into four equal squares by canals. This system uses snow melt from the Andes for irrigation, making the Patagonian desert fertile.
Poplar trees have been planted around the vineyards to shelter the vines from wind, which can be an issue in the area. The combination of aridity, altitude, low annual rainfall and clean air all help to keep phylloxera and other vine diseases at bay, while providing a good terroir for the production of high quality wine.
Grapes are harvested by hand, and are fermented using natural yeasts. The wines are aged in French oak, around 20 percent of which is new. The wine is left on its lees in the barrel for 12 months and bottled without fining or filtration.
Bodega Chacra makes three single-vineyard Pinot Noirs: Trienta y Dos from the 1932 vineyard; Cincuenta y Cinco from the 1955 vineyard; and Sesanta y Sete from the 1967 vineyard. It also makes a standard Pinot Noir, Barda, from grapes not used in the singe-vineyard wines and from younger vines in the original 1932 vineyard.
Pairing Suggestions: Chicken, Turkey and Duck
Maturation: Aged for seven months 55% in concrete tanks, 41% in used French oak barrels and 4% in amphorae.
