My decision to come to Uruguay was partially made on my desire to learn more about Uruguayan wines. Largely left out of any of my formal studies for sommelier course, or informal studies for my general wine knowledge, I could not think of any better way to learn then to engulf myself with the wine, the people, in the place! If I only could do this for every wine region I want to learn about i.e. everywhere in the world, but alas, I don't have the funds. Perhaps some day I will find myself perusing in Bordeaux, then off to Alsace, into the Rhine, and then way on down to Margaret River, Central Otago and beyond. Until then, I am going to learn as much about South American wines as I can.
I start my journey into Uruguay wines at Pisano, an Artesania en Vinos Finos. A quick bus forty minute bus ride outside of Montevideo, the driver alerts me I am here, and points to a sign outside the bus.
It's my second day in this country, second day on this continent and I am miles and miles away from my wine world in Sonoma County, but this sign, in the middle of seemingly nowhere, was incredibly exciting. This was the true start to my wine adventure. I picked up my pace and made it to the winery, before the blaring sun got me.
The Pisano Family moved to Uruguay in 1870 from Liguria, Italy. It was in 1914 the first vineyards were planted and 1924, the first commercial wines were produced.
Original barrels, above, now for historical purposes.
Today, it is still the family business-with three sons at the helm-one, the winemaker, another in the vineyards, and the third, the 'salesman' Daniel, who I had the pleasure of spending the day with, alongside his export gal, Gabriela. Below, is Daniel showing the original winemaking tools.
They take pride in saying they are not a 'family business' but a family DOING business, a philosophy that shows. What they are crafting at Pisano is a pure wine with a business saavy team, and it is grand expression of their unique terrior.
Roughly the same latitude as Bordeaux, and near the Atlantic Ocean as well, they have a fantastic climate for grape growing. The soil is more like Burgundy, limestone and marl which Daniel says give their grapes a unique edge. About 15 hectacres surround the property, and there are another 17 ha down the road, and now, during harvest it is to be picked by hand, sorted, and sent off to their various tanks.
I was lucky to see some Syrah coming in from the vineyard down the road, working it's way on the sorting line and into a stainless tank for fermentaton.
Its a small operation, with only a few people working, bustling around at this busy time of the year. We carefully avoided them as we walked around, touring the bodgea. Along with the stainless steel tanks, they have concrete tanks
And a lovely barrel barn for aging their wines
For vintages past, they have built a cava to store wines for future generations.
We tasted through many of their wines in what Daniel calls the board room and though it is where many important decisons are made, it is also a place for family, for food, and for enjoying wine and appreciating the history of Pisano.
We started our tasting with their 2012 Torrontés, from their Río de Los Pajeros label
It was bright and crisp with elegant acidity, and Daniel made it a point to add that the acidity was a result of their vineyard conditions, not artifically from a bag. I appreciate his honesty, and his pride for his hand crafted wines. The wine whirled with notes of pear and peach, while finished with a herbaceous quality and a nice white pepper kick at the end. A great wine for a hot summer's day this was turning to be.
Our next move was to the 2011 Tannat Brut Nature
For one with little experience with Tannat, and also little experience with Sparkling Reds, this wine took me a second to comprend the smells and flavors. Daniel explained it is a wonderful wine for roast meats, and to be honest while tasting it, I did have a hankering for BBQ. The wine had a soft effervescence that danced across your tongue but strong tannin to knock you right back to remind you this was a powerful wine. So, where's that BBQ...?
We then moved through a series of reds Pisano produces like the 2009 Río de Los Pajeros Tannat
The 2008 RPF (Family Personal Reserve) Syrah, the same wine the 2013 grapes brought in this day will be transformed to
The 2008 RPF Petit Verdot
And the 2009 RPF Tannat
It was over this wine Daniel and I got into their winemaking philosophy. The RPF label is all single varietal wines, with no blending, leaving the grape bare for the world to see. He explains how, people all over the world try to mask the tannin of Petit Verdot or Tannat by blending a little this or a little that. He speaks of a trip to France, where a winemaker in Bordeaux called them the 'ugly' grapes. But winemaking at Pisano is different. To them, their thought is if you are ugly-show it. Be proud of it, don't mask it to be something it is not. He equates it to painting a masterpiece painting, with only one color. Their dedication to this philosophy shows, as they are making some incredible, pure wines with the structure and strength to age for many years to come.
My experience ended on a sweet note, both personally and in the wine with their 2097 Exte Oneko
A dark, inky dessert wine that is somewhere between an amorone and a port, and a mixture of fermentation techniques are used. It was sweet and spicy all at the same time with a hint of licorice in then end and a wonderful tribute to the Basque heritage of their family, and of the tannat grape.
I thank Daniel, Gabriela, and Ignacio for their hospitality, and my introduction to Uruguayan wines.
Location:Progreso, Uruguay
