Just tasted my way through a selection of Chilean Pinots for a piece I’m doing for Square Meal. Here’s the verdict on the first four…

Emiliana Reserva Pinot Noir 2008, Casablanca (£7.99 Amps, Noel Young)
A wine that scores by not trying too hard to impress. Instead it concentrates on sporting joyful red fruit – red cherries, strawberries, raspberries – plus a touch of smoky oak, and then finishes with a fresh, sappy edge that cleans your mouth and leaves you wanting more. Not complex but vibrant and tasty. B(+)

Anakena Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009, Rapel Valley (£7.99 Noel Young)
Paler than the Emiliana, but more interesting? Not really. It’s quite delicate, but there’s not enough charm to sustain this lighter style. OK cherries and red berries, but lacks the IT factor. C+

Anakena ONA Pinot Noir 2008, Casablanca (£9.99 Oddbins)
Starts of in rich fruity fashion, but then turns simple, and while the red berry fruit is quite attractive, overall it’s a little too correct, with a slightly hard finish. B-

Tabalí Reserva Especial Pinot Noir 2008, Limarí (£9.99-10.99 Reserve, Byrnes, Amps, Noel Young)
A step up here. The brawniest of these four, with deep dark fruit flavours, notes of coffee, kirsch and cherries (red and black) and a voluptuous finish with some smoky oak and silky tannins. Good now; better in a few months time. S-