Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lovely fruit and vibrancy from this carmenere. Red berries, cherries, tapenade, paprika and fine spices. Really well balanced, with good structure and length. This is an excellent value. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a fresh and savory entry of dried rose petal and California laurel that folds over onto the palate, joining brambly raspberry and Santa Rosa plum flavors. A slight dose of oak chimes in on the finish, lending bass to the otherwise elegant details, but it works in the end. Drink now through 2030.
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.