Pinot Noir - Cono Sur biggest Pinot producer?

The last harvests from both New Zealand and Burgundy have been greatly reduced, New Zealands by 18% due to bad weather and Burgundy has seen its smallest harvest since the 1950's due to frost, hail, mildew and poor flowering.
Cono Sur launched its Pinot Noir project to champion its flagship variety in the late 90's and this year sees 292ha of Pinot Noir under vine, compared with its biggest rival, New Zealand's Brancott Estate, with 58ha, it  sold 34,306 9-litre cases o the UK off-trade ( shops etc...) in 2012, while its closest rival, Brancott Estate, sold 33,463 9-litre cases. In total it exported 51 000 9-litre cases to the UK which is its top export market and is followed by US, Canada, Japan and Finland.
Cono Sur's winemaking manager Matías Ríos has been at Cono Sur since 2000 and says the wine produced has been very consistant with little variation, good weather/climate plays a part in this. He described the Chilean style of Pinot Noir as "fresh and elegant, with ripe, complex tannins and delicate notes of black cherries".
He uses the Burgundian method of vinification to produce eight different versions of Pinot Noir in its portfolio including its entry-level Bicicleta range, Reservas, Organics, sparkling, an ultra-premium label called 20 Barrels and icon wine Ocio.

Cono Sur Reservas Pinot Noir from the Casablanca Valley in Chile is my mainstay wine - a good value drinking wine which seems to always give me a hug. This is on special offer in Waitrose at the moment for £7.99.

Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2008

Cono Sur Vision Viognier 2008 from the Colchagua Valley comes from a block of vines which in 1997 had been grafted onto 50 year old Chenin Blanc  - hence its freshness. Adolfo Hurtado is the winemaker - a name that is heavily linked with improvements in the Pinot Noir coming from Chile these days.

This wine is a delight, it is pale golden straw, a hint at the high alcohol associated with Viognier is seen in the fast legs that form after swirling the glass.
Aromas of tropical fruits mingle with apricot and an overiding waft of citrus and solid minerality.
On the mouth once more - tropical fruits, a hint of oak ( spice and richness), kiwi and melon and citrus - followed by a long citric finish with a cleansing bitter edge with structural minerals playing their part. The wine is fresh ( for a viognier) and has good body along with quite high but integrated alcohol , 13.9%, typical of the grape again. At the price - about £6-7, an absolute bargain - a wine to be enjoyed with or without food!

Another plus point with Cono Sur is that they have been working towards being carbon neutral for many years, and that can only be good for the environment - so I say drink more :-)