De Martino Alto de Piedras Carmenere 2018
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Wine &
Spirits -
James
Suckling - Vinous
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
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.
Other Vintages
2017-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
Founded in Isla de Maipo (Chile), since 1934 the De Martino family has specialised in producing wines that reflect their origin and the character of each vineyard, based on solid principles of sustainable farming and traditional winemaking techniques. Today, the winery brings together the experience of the third generation of the family - represented by Pietro, Marco and Remo De Martino- with the dynamism and vision of Marco Antonio and Sebastián De Martino, the fourth generation. De Martino labelled and exported Chile’s first Carmenere in 1996 and was a pioneer winery working century-old vineyards in the Itata Valley, incorporating old winemaking techniques that set a precedent in South America.
On De Martino's tours, you can taste wines from Chile’s very diverse regions, try one of the world's best Carmenere wines and see the exciting process of wine creation. Just one hour from Santiago, a bilingual guide will explain the whole process of making our wines in a tour that starts with the work in the vineyards and goes through to bottling and ageing. You will also be able to find out about our innovative winemaking techniques in amphorae and foudres, methods that are unrivalled in Chile’s wine industry. This is the ideal opportunity to discover the best and most varied range produced in Chile.
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.