Cinsault, Pedro Parra, `Monk` Itata Valley, Chile

Tim Atkin MW, Chile 2025 Special Report.
95 points
Pedro Parra changed the source of Monk in 2023 because he was dissatisfied with the vineyard. Now sourced from a 50-year-old vineyard in Guarilihue, which avoided smoke taint during the February fires, this is an impressive varietal Cinsault with pink grapefruit and raspberry flavours, granular tannins and a brisk, granite-led finish.

Matthew Luczy, Chile: The Southern Limits – Itata, Bio-Bio, Malleco & the Austral, The Wine Advocate.

95 points
The 2022 Monk originates from dark red granite soils with high silt and iron content, contributing to its dark, introverted personality. Despite this brooding start, it slowly unfurls in the glass with anise, cardamom and hints of dark fruit, although fruits generally are not in the foreground of any wine in this roster. In the mouth, it offers the deepest and most muscular palate while maintaining a seamless, slender texture, concluding with a powdery, glacial finish of drying mineral intensity. Within the Parra roster, this is one wine I would recommend cellaring for an additional year or two.