Winemaker Notes
Alto de Piedras is a classic, elegant and well-defined Carmenere from the same terroir as the first Chilean Carmenere.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
One of the most evocative and beautiful carmenères in Chile, Altos de Piedras grows on deep gravel and clay alongside the river in Isla del Maipo. It’s a sweet spot for the variety, showing off the sleek length of flavor carmenère can achieve, a fresh scent of bergamot, the fruitiness of chocolate and the fruit of forest mushrooms lasting with the supple tannins. This has the stamina of a marathon runner, the focus to age for a decade or more.
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James Suckling
Aromas of black fruit, green herbs, smoked meat, oyster and lemon zest. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Rich and succulent with a savory, herbed finish.
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Vinous
An unusual Carménère from Maipo, ‘harvested on a short rein’ as the oenologist Marcelo Retamal puts it. Violet in color, on the nose one detects blackberries, spices, fresh fruit and mint with no fear of the pyrazine typical of the varietal. Dry and acidic on the palate, juicy tannins enhance the smooth structure.
Dark, full-bodied and herbaceous with a spicy kick, Carménère found great success with its move to Chile in the mid-19th century. However, the variety went a bit undercover until 1994 when many plantings previously thought to be Merlot, were profiled as Carménère. Somm Secret— Carménère is both a progeny and a great-grandchild of the similarly flavored Cabernet Franc.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.