Winemaker Notes
The wine shows a purple-red color with bluish shadings. Highly complex on the nose, it stands out for its ripe black fruits, spicy notes and, soft touches of bitter chocolate. It feels concentrated on the palate, with sweet and round tannins, a balanced acidity tension and a touch of chocolate in its ending, which comes from its aging process in French oak barrels.
This wine is especially pleasant when paired with thick ribs, risotto, or spicy food.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of plums, blueberries, stones and chili chocolate. Sleek tannins with a creamy texture and a polished, rounded finish
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 TerraNoble Gran Reserva Carmenère shows excellent richness on the palate and in the finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with lovely aromas and flavors of red fruits, dried herbs, spice, and licorice. Pair it with roast chicken in a mix with arugula and baby spinach. (Tasted: October 15, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Blackberry, baking spice and meaty aromas are devoid of the green vegetal notes that often are part of the Carmenère package. A lush palate offers a sense of freshness, while this tastes of chocolaty oak, blackberry and cassis in front of a creamy finish, where chunky stickiness is a factor. Drink now–2025.
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Wine Spectator
Contoured and rich-tasting, with lithe dried green herbal accents to the dark plum and berry flavors. Peppery midpalate, with a long finish filled with wild spice and underbrush accents. Drink now through 2024.
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.
Maule is the Central Valley’s most southern and coolest zone, reaching a southern latitude of 35°S, yet it is still warmer and drier than Bío-Bío to its south. The Maule Valley enjoys success with a unique set of grapes.
It lays claim to the local variety, Pais (synonymous with Tinta Pais, which is actually Tempranillo), which has dominated much of the region’s area under vine until the recent past. Now many growers, not confined by the tradition and regulations of the Old World, also successfully grow Cabernet Sauvignon.
While Maule’s total area under vine remains relatively static, its old Carignan vineyards are undergoing a great revival. The VIGNO (Vignadores del Carignan Vintners) group, an association in charge of promoting this long-forgotten variety, is getting fantastic results from the old vines in its dry-farmed coastal zones.
The Maule includes the subregions of Talca, San Clemente, San Javier, Parral, Linares and Cauquenes.