Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a carmenere with a dark and ripe fruit character, dried herb and chocolate undertones. Medium to full body. Juicy finish. Always excellent.
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Decanter
A full and hedonistic style, with youthful, dark fruit aromas unfurling onto a powerful, structured yet polished palate, while overall it retains decent acidity to sustain the long finish.
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Wine Spectator
Lip-smacking flavors of plum tart, cherry and kirsch show floral accents, with lively acidity and a lingering finish of olive and coffee.
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.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.