Winemaker Notes
Grapes were picked at its maximum of maturity to keep and maintain all its aromatics potential. This Carmenere is sourced from our vineyards located on the warm Andes Foothills of the Colchagua Valley, in a place called Los Lingues. The micro-terroir of Los Lingues gives to this Carmenere unique characteristics in terms of red fruits. Aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels.
Pair with braised duck with mushrooms, chili con carne, or paella.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Excellent depth, with spot-on balance and some complexity. Typical carmenere spices, with rich currants, paprika and dark chocolate. Generous and pretty concentrated, with fine tannins that dissipate nicely on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Solid, lengthy finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from 30-year-old massal selections in Los Lingues on colluvial soils, the 2022 Carmenere CA1 Andes offers a lifted nose dominated by red fruits and balsamic herbal energy. The palate offers notably more depth and precision than the Azara line, concluding with a luscious yet balanced finish with lingering mineral-tinged nuances.
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Vinous
The 2022 Carménère Andes CA1 comes from Los Lingues, Colchagua and was aged for 16 months in a mix of barrels, foudres and amphorae. It shows the typical profile of the variety in this zone, with ash, refined pyrazines, dark fruit, tobacco and subtle oak. This is juicy, clingy and broad, with plush tannins and a wide mid-palate. The 2022 is textbook Andes Carménère.
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Wine Enthusiast
Hailing from the Los Lingues sub-region of the Colchagua Valley, this wine opens with subtle hints of peppercorn and cherries. Sturdy tannins frame the smooth palate, where red fruit flavors are highlighted by a dash of licorice and baking spices. The finish lingers with pleasant herbal notes of sage.
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.