Winemaker Notes
Aromas of red fruits, cedar and boldo herbs. It’s fresh and fruity in mouth with cherry flavors and a touch of pepper and rosemary. Silky with velvety tannins and good volume.
The grapes are handpicked with a double selection before macerating in open stainless steel tanks with native yeasts. The skins remain after fermentation to give structure and soften its finish.
Pair with beef empanadas and curried lamb stews.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackberry, blueberry, plum and sage on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with plush tannins. Creamy and round on the palate with plenty of fruit and crisp acidity. Flavorful finish. Slightly chewy at the end.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe plum and blackberry aromas come with ample oaky wood grain scents as well as hints of Band-Aid and latex. A flush palate is what Apalta is known for, while this warm-year Carmenère offers baked black fruit flavors touched up by chocolaty oak. A slightly sticky and grabby finish confirms the wine's heft.
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Wine Spectator
Opens with savory notes of tomato leaf and peppercorn that integrate nicely around a svelte core of juicy cherry and plum, with good acidity rounding things out around dusty, mineral-tinged tannins.
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.