Santa Carolina Carménère

Let’s check out another ten dollar Carménère today, this one from Santa Carolina.

Although the popularity of Chilean wines has only recently exploded in the US, Santa Carolina has been around since 1875.  Founded by Luis Pereyra Cotapos, it was named after his wife, Carolina Iñiguez Vicuña.  The roots of wine production at Santa Carolina come from French winemakers, led by enologist Germain Bachelet, recruited to establish the vineyards and production.  Their original cellar is still in use today and was declared a national monument in 1973.

One thing you may notice on a lot of Chilean wine is the word “reserva.”  It should be noted that while in some regions, “reserve” has a specific meaning (e.g. number of years in oak), in Chile it is just a marketing term with no consistent definition.

This Carménère has a powerful nose, with big, luscious red and black fruit, toasted oak and vanilla.  Oak is all over this wine.  The palate shows red raspberry and cherry, but not a whole lot of complexity.  Firm tannins and good acidity give the wine nice structure—particularly for a wine of this price.  For $10 it’s a decent Carménère.

Wine: Santa Carolina Reserva
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 85
Price: $10.00

Find Santa Carolina Reserva Carménère with Snooth

You may also want to check out our review of the 2007 Santa Carolina “Reserva de Familia” Carménère.

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.