Clos des Fous Subsollum Pinot Noir 2017

James Suckling 91
"Very pale in the glass, this has such flinty, gun-smoke aromas, freshly ground baking spices and a light, bright, red-cherry edge, following through to a crisp, fresh and vibrant palate. Delicate and attractively defined tannins here. Drink now." ~ JS

92 Pinot noir and 8 Cinsault. Sourced from Pucalan and Larqui vineyards (about 10 acres total). Viedo Larqui was planted in 1998 on paleozoic calcareous and sandy soils; Pucalan, planted in 2008, has granitic soil. Both are farmed lutte raisone. After a 10-day cold soak, the wine was made in concrete and stainless; aged on the lees for 18 months and bottled lightly filtered.

"Clos des Fous is about four friends – four crazy guys that have chosen to ignore the "experts" about where to plant vineyards and to trust their own instincts. The team is viticulturist Paco Leyton, winemaker Francois Massoc, terroir hunter Pedro Parra, and "bringer of wisdom" Albert Cussen. Clos des Fous, at his heart, is a project dedicated to finding extreme terroirs in Chile and then exploiting those to craft unique wines. They focus on minimal intervention viticulture and winemaking, with the goal of allowing the terroir to express its natural balance and spirit. They are inspired by the wines of Burgundy, where both Pedro and Francois trained."