Keeping Pinot Noir Cool in Chile with Leyda
At the Las Brisas Vineyard in Chile, Leyda Pinot Noir grapes are already situated to develop slowly. The name of the vineyard itself, Las Brisas, means the breeze in Spanish and reflects on the cooler ocean breezes that play across the southwest slopes of the vineyards and helps to keep the grapes nice and cool. Early Vintage reports from Chile** told of cooler than normal temperatures anyway, so keeping the Leyda Pinot Grapes growing slowly was not going to be the issue. Leyda experienced many days in spring with the temperature lower than 10°C during Pinot Noir flowering. This resulted in the vines producing small and large berries within the same bunch, known as millerandage. This came after an already difficult and dry winter rain cycle that created a handicap for the vines. Drier years can create difficulties for the balance of the vine. 
Chilean Weather, Chilean Pinot Noir
The low rainfall during the winter delayed all stages of the growing season. As a result of these factors, the Pinot Noir really had a extra good long time to developed in perspective. With budbreak 20 days later than the average, the whole cycle of flowering, fruit set and harvest was delayed too.  The red vines, including Leyda’s Pinot Noir, were the most difficult because the grapes struggled to ripen and the extraction for the Pinot Noir had to have been very gentle. Of course that can be a quite confusing;
- Was the harsher weather bad for the final harvest?
- Was the extended time beneficial for the vines?
- Is this just a bunch of excuses?
- What does it mean when you pour a glass out of the bottle?
Leyda 2008: Harsh Chilean Weather, Smooth Chilean Pinot Noir
Knowing that the difficult weather could not have really adversely affected the Pinot in a bad way or else a bottle of Leyda would never have been even carried by Wine on the Way,
I looked forward to tasting this Pinot Noir rated a full 90 points by Wine Advocate, still, I was surprised. I had known that the 2007 was extremely fruity and expected more of the same from this fine South American Wine. The 2008 Leyda Pinot is much softer than I would have expected. There is a good fruit forward, but it is gentle. With fresh strawberry in the nose, there was a subtle hint of coca, and some definite cola which I found intriguing, but either my nose is broken or the bottle description of an intense aroma is a bit exaggerated. The flavor is indeed very juicy. Tastes of the ripe cherry, lots of strawberry again, there is some spice and almost a true taste of the fresh ocean breezes.  One can taste the 8 months in used French oak barrels, but not in an overbearing way at all. Just a smokiness that balanced the fruit. I found it extremely drinkable with little detection of the 14.5% alcohol content. Again silky, softer than imaginable, without a long drawn-out finish, this wine did end with a nice minerality. Mouthful after mouthful, I just kept on envisioning the freshest of springs strawberries, ripen in the sun, but not quite done yet, the taste of their leaves, the morning dew, a bit of earth all in the single glass of Leyda 2008 Pinot Noir. Overall a very interesting red wine from Chile and worth the $18.00 for a bottle of springtime. Â
