Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Carménère, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Smooth and succulent with notes of crisp plum and subtle herbs. With medium weight and considerable spice, it’s long and balanced at an attractive price point.
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Wine Enthusiast
Olive and spiced plum aromas are stout, but with zest and snap. A full, tightly wound palate is balanced and lively, while this tastes of savory black fruits, hoison sauce and soy sauce. A broadly textured finish is savory tasting until the final note.
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.
Well-regarded for intense and exceptionally high quality red wines, the Colchagua Valley is situated in the southern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with many of the best vineyards lying in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
Heavy French investment and cutting-edge technology in both the vineyard and the winery has been a boon to the local viticultural industry, which already laid claim to ancient vines and a textbook Mediterranean climate.
The warm, dry growing season in the Colchagua Valley favors robust reds made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec and Syrah—in fact, some of Chile’s very best are made here. A small amount of good white wine is produced from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.