2021 Tayu 1865 Pinot Noir Malleco Valley
96DS
93JS
93RP
91TA
$17.99
Fulfillment times vary, for estimated turnaround times
Availability by location
San Francisco: 17
96
Descorchados
Reviewed January 2023This new Tayú comes from a selection of four vineyards planted between 2015 and 2017, all in the Malleco zone. It was fermented in cement and stored in assorted oak, cement, and stainless containers. It's a pinot with firm tannins and tremendous strength on the palate, which is unusual in South American pinots, which always tend to soften the harsh nature of the variety. The aromas are earthy, floral, and fruity, and the finish is fresh and long. Give it a couple of years in the bottle because it needs to gain complexity. The Tayú 1865 is the wine that San Pedro makes in collaboration with the Mapuche community of Buchahueico in the town of Purén, at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Mountains in the Malleco Valley. The Mapuche never cultivated vines or fermented grapes—it's not part of their culture—so this project, which started in 2015, has been an experience of cultural syncretism, an encounter between two cultures.
Professional Reviews
93
James Suckling
A pretty complex pinot with excellent purity. Some grilled herbs and a hint of graphite give definition to the subtle cherry fruit and wild raspberries. Almost a bit austere. Cool and bright on the medium-bodied palate with lots of chalky tannins. 34,000 bottles. A collaboration between the San Pedro and Mapuches families in Malleco. Really good value.
93
Wine Advocate
The 2021 Tayu 1865 is a darker-fruited expression of Malleco, opening with a brooding but beautiful bouquet of fresh herbs, exotic spices and sweet tobacco. The palate is rich and sumptuous yet retains a silky preceision through the lifted, pleasantly drying and nuanced finish. I tasted this in the context of a complete vertical of the Tayu 1865 project and found this to be the finest rendition of this wine to date. (ML)
91
Tim Atkin
Mayu is a project that San Pedro runs in partnership with four Mapuche families in the coastal part of the Malleco Valley. Fermented with 30% whole bunches, this serious, concentrated Pinot Noir was made with the 115, 777 and 828 clones. Firm, compact and lightly wooded, with plum and black cherry fruit, it's a wine that needs more time in bottle to soften.
Staff Reviews
RR
Review Date: 01/2026
Pinot Noir is notoriously one of the most finicky varieties to cultivate, especially so in extreme cool-climate regions. Considering this, the 2021 Tayu 1865 Pinot Noir is a head-turner of a wine – dark, dense, and brimming with black cherry and plum notes – all at a price that seems too good to be true. Made from fruit grown in Chile’s Malleco Valley, the southernmost winegrowing region in the country, this wine balances a high concentration of just ripe black fruit notes with sprightly acidity and gently gripping tannins. The climate of the Malleco Valley is marginal, on par with other regions perched at the edge of what’s feasible, such as New Zealand’s Central Otago region, or Germany’s Ahr region. Much like wines made the former and the latter, this wine has a distinct intensity, wrapped up in a nervy, linear structure. With just a faint hint of oak on the palate and a subtle green note, like freshly harvested tender herbs, the finish of the wine is so long and lingering, it’s hard to believe that it's under $20. Simply one of the best values I’ve had the pleasure of trying recently, this is a wine to snap up while still available.
AH
Aaron Hughes
Review Date: 01/2026Aaron Hughes
The cork was just pulled on this about a minute ago, and already the nose is opening and really showing very prettily. There's this mélange of red and black fruit, little hints of some darker cherry, but there's also bright raspberry and a little touch of blackberry. The palate is medium with a little bit of plushness to it, there's like this little touch of crunchy fruit but it's mostly fairly ripe and juicy. The finish is fairly lengthy and there's a good amount of acidity and body here, this is just a nice little budget Pinot Noir that overdelivers. There's a little lingering minerality on the finish towards the end, but ultimately I while I feel like this would make a nice little cocktail wine I do want to have a bite with it. I just feel like a little nosh would really bring out a little more. But overall, at this price, it's a nice little wine and something I'll be bringing home when I'm not sure what I want, but I know I want it to be easy.
SB
Scott Beckerley
Review Date: 01/2026Scott Beckerley
This super value bright star of a Pinot Noir has a fragrant nose of black raspberry and bright cherry with background scents of earthy spices and fresh (clean!) wood. In the mouth, the brightness carries over and then becomes deeper and quite generous with riper cherries, moderately dry tannins and some rather sweet baking spices. The finish is clean and on the long side and a subtle bit of minerals. Hard to beat at this quite astounding price!
Notes
Malleco is one of the southernmost wine growing regions in Chile. The climate here is marginal – exceptionally cool and just at the edge of where grapes can fully ripen. The 2021 Tayu 1865 Pinot Noir is a standout example of both this extreme cool-climate winemaking, as well as ethical business practices: this vintage is part of a unique collaborative project between Viña San Pedro and the indigenous Mapuche community of Buchahueico, a partnership that earned "Ethical Company of the Year" honors. The grapes were fermented in concrete and stainless steel, with 15% whole clusters, and the wine was then aged in French oak foudres, concrete eggs and used French oak barrels for about a year. Very little of this wine was imported into the US, and we are very happy to offer it.
Details
| Origin | Chile |
|---|---|
| Type/Varietal | Pinot Noir |
| SKU | 1717668 |