Winemaker Notes
This Carmenere is highly complex and stands out for its notes of ripe black fruit, spice, and soft touches of bitter chocolate on the nose. It is concentrated on the palate, with sweet and round tannins and balanced acidity.
This wine is especially enjoyable when paired with ribs, risotto, or spicy food.
Blend: 100% Carmenere
Vegan-friendly
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A firm and textured red with dark berries, chocolate, sweet spices and grilled herbs. Medium to full body. The tannins are ripe and nicely polished, giving structure and framing the plush dark fruits. Velvety finish. Vegan. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Carménère Gran Reserva from Maule was mostly aged for 12 months in barrels with 1/3 third in foudres. Purple in the glass. The aromas feature everything from ripe plum and prune to blueberry, along with a layer of ash. Intense with grippy tannins and a juicy flow. The finish is plummy with a faint layer of wood. A well-made Carménère from a ripe year.
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Vinous
The 2020 Carménère Gran Reserva from Maule was mostly aged for 12 months in barrels with 1/3 third in foudres. Purple in the glass. The aromas feature everything from ripe plum and prune to blueberry, along with a layer of ash. Intense with grippy tannins and a juicy flow. The finish is plummy with a faint layer of wood. A well-made Carménère from a ripe year.
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.