Winemaker Notes
Vina Tarapaca Gran Reserva Carmenère is influenced by cold morning and afternoon breezes and the fresh influence of the Maipo River.
It has an expressive, complex and fresh nose, with aromas of spices such as cloves and pepper. It also exhibits subtle vegetal notes of red pepper due to its proximity to the Maipo River. The soils of the vineyard allow it to achieve a round, delicate, full-bodied wine with ripe and soft tannins. The nose and mouth show notes of blackberries, blueberries and plums. It is a tasty, balanced wine with good depth.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fresh, spicy carmenere with tapenade and a touch of black bean puree to the vibrant fruit. Dark cherries and notes of smoked meat. Fruity and nicely chewy on the palate with slightly steely tannins and a flavorful finish.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and juicy, with a layer of chrysanthemum and pink peppercorn up front and a plush core of fresh raspberry and plum, with a subtle mineral underpinning and fresh acidity stretching out the finish around a note of cocoa powder. Drink now through 2033.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Gran Reserva Carmenere is dark, spice-driven and herbal on the nose, with a lovely concentration and hints of snappy tension in the mouth. It closes with a vibrant, clean finish framed with dusty, fine-grained tannins that maintain impressive delineation.
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Vinous
The 2022 Carménère Gran Reserva originates from Isla de Maipo. Aged for eight months in French and American oak barrels, this purple-hued wine presents an ashy nose accompanied by blackberry and subtle herbal notes. Indulgent, rich and clingy on the palate, it lingers with its herbal characteristics. The 2022 embodies the essence of concentrated Carménère from Chile.
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Wine Enthusiast
A fruit-forward nose is followed by a palate of toasted oak, red berry and grassy flavors. It has smooth round tannins and optimal acidity, making this Carménère an excellent match to a meaty lasagna.
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.