Chile’s explosive growth and ever-increasing quality has been a major wine story in recent years. It’s fueled in no small part by Carmenere. The Chileans are also producing nice Cabernet, Syrah, and experimenting in some areas with Pinot Noir.
The Colchagua, Rapel, and Maipo valleys have long been the leaders in Carmenere production.
Like so many varietals, Carmenere is believed to have been originally grown in the Medoc region of Bordeaux, France. It was used primarily for blending of the great Bordeaux wines.
Chile came by its signature wine somewhat mistakenly. For years many thought Carmenere to be Merlot or a Merlot clone. Scientific studies have shown it’s more likely to be a clone of Cabernet Sauvignon. Carmenere was believed to have first appeared in Chile in the mid-1800s.The grapes were planted around Santiago. Chile’s light summer rain and warm temperatures allowed the grape to flourish.
The wine is incredibly delicious, approachable, ready to drink, and inexpensive. If that sounds like my description of Argentina’s Malbec from previous columns, you’d be right!
Carmenere is an extreme value buy. You can find good bottles for well under $15 in most wine shops.
The grape has almost disappeared from France while thriving in Chile. Italy, California and Washington state have limited Carmenere vineyards.
The Chileans have started to use Carmenere as a blending grape with their Cabernets. If you find a Carmenere, you’re likely to find a Cabernet/Carmenere blend from the same label.
The wine has a really bright characteristic to it. Some wine drinkers might use the word “freshness” to describe the palate. It often has characteristics of blackberry, blueberry, and a peppery finish. It pairs well with all kinds of food and is quite drinkable alone.
If you are expanding your wine palate, and taking Grape Sense’s advice to try, try and try new things – you need to buy a Carmenere.
Here are a couple of names to look for: Concha Y Toro, Cantus, Santa Alicia, Terra Andina, Santa Rita, Santa Ema, and Montes Alpha.
The wine is becoming more sophisticated with each vintage. Montes Alpha, one of Chile’s most respected producers, makes a premium Carmenere called “Purple Angel” which sells for $55-$65. I recently participated in a grand tasting of more than 40 wines with eight wine journalists. The Purple Angel was the top scoring wine of the group.
Howard’s Pick:
2006 Santa Ema Carmenere Barrel Select – This wine will just amaze you. It has a huge nose with really intense flavors of licorice and dark berries. It is often scored high in “Best Buy” categories by many of the major publications. The winery has been around since the early 1900s, so they know what they’re doing. The most amazing thing about this wine – the $10 price tag!
Howard Hewitt, Crawfordsville, is a career journalist who now writes about wine. Read his frequently-updated blog at: www.redforme.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment