2021 Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir

Bodega Chacra was formed in 2004 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, the grandson of Sassicaia’s founder, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. Piero always wanted to do his own thing independent of family ties, and in 2004 he heard about an abandoned Pinot vineyard in Patagonia that was originally planted in 1932 and knew immediately it was the opportunity he had been looking for. And so began what is now Bodega Chacra, generally recognised as the greatest Pinot Noir produced in South America.

Over time another vineyard from 1955 was added along with more plantings. Vineyards are tended using organic and biodynamic principles. The old vines are planted on their own rootstocks, producing tiny bunches with incredibly concentrated flavours. Fruit is hand harvested, fermented in concrete, transferred by gravity and treated in the gentlest way possible without fining or filtration in order to produce wines with transparency.

Barda hails mostly from ungrafted vines that are 25 years old, along with fruit from the 1955 and 1932 vineyard. Maturation is completed 60% in concrete to enhance the fresh and crunchy nature of this Pinot Noir.

Other Reviews....
The 2021 Barda has moderate ripeness and alcohol (12.5%) while retaining very good freshness. After fermenting with some 15% full clusters in concrete with indigenous yeasts, 60% of the volume matured in French oak barrels (10% of them new), usually the more structured lots, while the rest was kept in concrete (the lighter lots) to keep the freshness and crunchiness of Pinot Noir. It was conceived as an easy-to-drink wine from their younger vines, but it has more depth than just that and it's quite versatile with food. 2021 was a cooler year, with frost in the winter that killed all the bugs, and they had a good crop (they usually get 35 to 50 hectoliters per hectare, maybe a little higher for Barda). It's fresh, vertical and mineral with a saline twist that is more noticeable with lower alcohol. It's the same genetic material as the rest, a massal selection planted ungrafted with some 20 years of age, and he sometimes gets declassified grapes or wines from the older vineyards (Cincuenta y Cinco and Treinta y Dos). This is the true second wine from Chacra. It has a pale and bright ruby color and a very clean and expressive nose, with some leafy notes, red fruit, hints of orange peel and a vibrant palate with purity of flavors, young and energetic. Piero Incisa told me this vintage reminds him of 2013; so, I looked up my description of that wine, and it is quite similar to this. Delicious and amazing value. A perfect introduction to Chacra... 70,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2022. Drink 2022 - 2027.
93+ points
Luis Gutiérrez - Wine Advocate (Dec 2022)

This has aromas of currants, blueberries, cherry blossom, brewed tea, seashells and seaweed. Medium-bodied with very sleek tannins. Savory and succulent with excellent freshness. Hints of cocoa and tea at the end. Drink or hold. From biodynamically grown grapes.
93 points
JamesSuckling.com

Cherry, rhubarb, slightly floral, with a distinct oysters shell/briny thing happening, a dusting of cinnamon. Medium-bodied, raspberry, poached strawberry and cherry, saline, quite soft in the mouth with gentle stony tannin and quiet acidity, but does have a little sappiness and a finish of solid length, with a savoury and amaro aftertaste. It doesn’t have the cut and intensity of the more expensive Pinot Noir offerings from this producer, but it’s still a lovely thing to drink. Drink 2022 - 2026.
92 points
Gary Walsh - The Wine Front