Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A pretty nose, yet one with concentration. It shows dark plums, cranberry sauce, peppercorns and dark stones. Medium body, ripe and structured tannins and a chewy finish.
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Wine Spectator
A textbook Carmenère, with a fine-edged savoriness to the dark plum, blackberry and dark currant flavors. Green herb and chocolate notes show on the finish. Drink now through 2023.
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Wine Enthusiast
Minty, herbal berry aromas are boosted by a lot of oak, resulting in chocolaty scents of mocha and coffee. High acidity, be it natural or added, creates a saucy, tomatoey mouthfeel, while this tastes of herbal blackberry and dark plum. More oak is found on a dry, tannic finish.
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.
With an outstanding reputation for its bold reds, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenere, the Cachapoal Valley spreads through the northern part of Chile’s Rapel Valley, with a continuous backdrop of the majestic Andes to its east. This region reaches as far north as the southern outskirts of the city of Santiago where it meets the famous region of the Maipo. The Cachapoal Valley produces no shortage of plum and berry dominated full-bodied reds with aromas and flavors reminiscent of mint, cocoa, spice or smoked meat.