One of the exciting parts of being a wine writer is the seemingly endless variety of places, styles and types of wine you can find.  Despite the fact that California, France, Australia, Italy, Chile and Spain seem to dominate the wine shelves in the US, there is wine produced in every corner of the globe.  If you just buy your wine from the end-caps at the grocery store, you’re just scratching the surface of what’s available.  This is one of those wines that I find and I’m excited to taste something from a wine region I don’t come across everyday.  In this case, it’s Patagonia, Argentina — one of the world’s most southern wine regions.

Although I don’t come across it everyday, and can’t recall any Patagonian wines that I’ve had an opportunity to taste before this, this isn’t a new winery.  Humberto Canale has been producing wines for over a century.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a Patagonian pinot noir, but I was pleased with what I found.

This is a little darker in color than your typical Californian pinot noir. And the aromas are a little darker too, with dark plums, cherry, bacon fat, tar and truffle on the nose.  Not only is the complexity good on the nose, the intensity is great too.  In the mouth this is a real tongue-coater, with a velvety mouth feel.  The flavors are cherry, raspberry and bacon.  The finish is exceptionally long and fantastic.

I might recommend this as a good pinot noir to pair with a BLT.  Regardless of what you eat with it, the value is simply outstanding.

Wine: Humberto Canale Estate
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 88
Price: $11.49

Find Humberto Canale Estate Pinot Noir with Snooth