Patagonia’s Purest Pinot Noir: Chacra’s 2024 ‘Barda’
There’s a clarity to great Pinot Noir, a transparency that speaks of soil, air, and the hand of the grower. Few wines achieve it with the poise and vibrancy at this price point of the Chacra ‘Barda’ Pinot Noir, from the remote reaches of Patagonia’s Río Negro Valley. Since acquiring the old vineyards that would become Bodega Chacra, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta (of the legendary Sassicaia family) has turned this southern outpost into a benchmark for South American Pinot. Working with terroir specialist Pedro Parra, pruning guru Marco Simonit, and none other than Jean-Marc Roulot, Chacra produces wines that transcend expectations of New World Pinot, offering elegance and depth over power. ‘Barda’ is Chacra’s most immediate and expressive bottling — sourced primarily from organically and biodynamically farmed vines planted between 1932 and 1955, rooted in ancient riverbed soils of sand, silt, and limestone. The vines are ungrafted and pre-phylloxera in origin, a rare and precious lineage in any part of the world. In the cellar, everything is done with restraint. Native yeasts, no added sulfur during fermentation, gentle extraction, and élevage in neutral vessels — amphora, concrete, and old barrels — ensure nothing stands between the wine and its origins. The result is a Pinot that’s lithe and lifted, with red fruit, herbal nuance, and a mineral undercurrent that feels almost Burgundian in its precision. This isn’t just one of the finest expressions of Pinot Noir in South America — it’s one of the most honest and compelling voices of the variety anywhere. The 2024 vintage continues the estate’s steady evolution, offering a fresh, tensile wine that over-delivers in every way.
94 Points, James Suckling
Perfumed, with subtle cherry, cranberry and strawberry aromas and a hint of peaches. Medium-bodied with brightness and freshness. Vivid, lively, crunchy and fresh. Always excellent and super drinkable. Drink or hold. (e.g., Describes the flavor, texture, and overall impression of the wine).
