If you aren’t familiar with carménère, that’s ok.  You’re probably not alone.  For a varietal that has spent much of the latter part of the 20^th century in obscurity, and often confused for Merlot, it’s making a nice comeback in some rather familiar places.  To get you caught up on who is doing some nice work with this classic old world varietal, and to get some further background on carménère, check out last year’s carménère round up.

The first thing you notice about Apaltagua’s latest offering is the dark, rich plum color, that is indicative of the varietal……and rather indicative of highly extracted Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Indeed this value priced Chilean seems rich and heavily extracted in both appearance and nose.  The alcohol volume is relatively high compared to old-world examples of carménère.  At 14%, the wine isn’t lacking in power and structure.  Apaltagua sources their carménère from the Apalta Valley in Colchagua.  As we’ve stated here before, if you haven’t committed Colchagua to memory yet, we recommend that you add it to your list of trusted appellations.

On the nose, the wine offers up green tea and cedar with hints of dark berry and plum.  The nose is appealing and hardy, but does hint at being tannic and acidic, as the cedary notes can overwhelm the nasal cavity.  On the palate the wine starts out a bit earthy and herbaceous, like an old world claret, but soon the tannins and alcohol take over.

This wine has a wonderful mouth-feel in the mid-palate, one that I really enjoyed, but the finish disappoints a bit.  It feels a bit overwrought with the tannins in the finish, in particular, leaving a lingering, yet slightly astringent aftertaste.  Makes me wonder what a little more experience with this grape will bring Apaltagua, and what their blends utilizing carménère have in store.  The fruit is certainly there, but it gets masked a bit, and can leave the wine seeming somewhat angular and unripened.

For the money, you won’t find many wines with this level of power, extraction and complexity.  The wine offers a lot of character, but some of it’s traits can be off-putting, and aren’t for the faint of heart.  I enjoyed the wine, but then I can appreciate the style.  I offered a glass to my wife, the ultimate acid-test, and she did not care for it.  If you have some experience with carménère, and you like a heartier full-bodied style, I recommend that you try the Apaltagua Reserva, particularly with something grilled!

A  Salute!

Wine: Apaltagua
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 87
Price:  $11.00

Find Apaltagua Carménère Reserva with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Carménère , or Carmenere, was once one of the grapes of Bordeaux.  It was always a problematic grape, due to late ripening, but brings some unique qualities to the wine in which it’s used.  In particular, it’s known for giving a green pepper characteristic to wines, which is intensified when the grapes are harvested under-ripe.  It can also have an herbaceous or tomato-like quality, which is one that I find particularly interesting.

You won’t find much of it in Bordeaux these days, as it was wiped out by a phylloxera infestation in the 1880’s.  In fact, for many it was years considered a lost variety until it was rediscovered in Chile where it was being mistaken for Merlot.  Since its rediscovery in 1994, Carmenere has made a comeback and become one of the gems in Chilean wine, where it is regularly produced as a single-variety wine.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reviewing some affordable Carmenere.  Here’s the roundup.

Top Rated

The top pick of those tasted was the 2008 Viña La Rosa, La Capitana.  This wine has exceptional complexity and is an elegant Carmenere.  Chocolate, nutmeg and other spicy qualities make it interesting and luscious blackberry and blueberry flavors give it deep, concentrated flavors.

Another top pick was the 2007 Terra Andina Altos, which also has a lot of complexity, with a wonderful aroma of stewed tomatoes, cherries, cola and pencil shavings.  This is an awesome wine for pasta dishes.

The best value goes to the 2007 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo, which is an amazingly chocolaty Carmenere for only $11.00.

Here’s the full roundup:

Viña Valdivieso originated as Champagne Valdivieso way back in 1879.  It was the first producer in South America to make sparkling wine, and didn’t even begin producing still wine until 1980 when they expanded and formed Viña Valdivieso.

The grapes for this Carménère are from Central Valley, which means that they aren’t from one region, but a couple.

Dusty and herbal aromas dominate the nose of this wine.  Sage, vanilla, mint, cedar, cocoa and black cherries all meld together to create and interesting and delightful nose.  The palate seems a little thin, but not too bad.  It’s a touch on the acidic side, making it harsh on its own but great with rich foods.  Plum and dark cherry make up the fruit on the palate.  There are also some chocolate overtones and some peppery spice.  This is a decent Carmenere.

Wine: Valdivieso Reserva
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $15.99

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Casillero del Diablo is one of the brands produced by Concha y Toro, the largest wine producer in Chile and one of the best in terms of consistent quality and good value for the price.

The story goes that in starting in 1891, the founder of the Concho y Toro Winery, Don Melchor, kept a personal stash of the best wines they produced.  And to keep people away from his stash, he spread the rumor that the devil lived in the cellar.  The translation of the name “Casillero del Diablo” means, cellar of the devil.

It is amazing how prominent the chocolate is in this wine.  The aromas and flavors are filled with chocolate.  In addition to the chocolate, the nose has a smoky cedar and raspberry aromas.  The palate is big and fruity with loads of blackberry and raspberry.  It’s right on the verge of jammy.  Again, there’s lot’s of cocoa on the palate, particularly in the finish.  It’s a great wine, especially for the price.  Highly recommended.

Wine: Casillero del Diablo
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $11.00

Find Casillero del Diablo Carménère with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Viu Manent is a family-owned winery in Colchagua Valley, Chile.  Founded in 1935, it originally under the name Vinos Viu.  Seventy-some years after its inception, the winery is still run by descendants of its founders.

The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard named La Capilla, near the town of Peralillo.  It’s 100% Carménère and the wine was aged 11 months in 87% French oak and 13% American oak.

It has a powerful nose with loads of green pepper and floral notes.  There is some fruit in the nose, but it’s hard to find it under all the green pepper.  The palate is full of red fruits, plum and dark chocolate flavors.  The tannins are pretty heavy, in a good way… giving this wine a nice mouthfeel.  The acidity is nearly perfect.  A slight tar flavor comes into play on the finish.

This is a well-made Carménère, but it’s not a wine for everyone.  The “green” characteristics are pretty strong and not everyone would be a fan.  But if you like that in a Carménère, then you’ll love this one.

Wine: Viu Manent Reserva
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $14.00

Find Viu Manent Reserva Carménère with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Espiritu de Chile is a joint venture between A. Racke from Germany and Aresti Vineyards in Chile. And while they have a long list of awards, accolades and good reviews from well-respected reviewers I don’t expect they’ll be adding the 2007 Classic Carménère to that list.  I guess not all the wines I review can be stellar.

Espiritu de Chile produces two tiers of wine: Classic and Gran Reserva.  Classic being the lower priced tier, and the only one I’ve tasted.

This Carménère has an intense green pepper aroma on the nose, which is indicative of under-ripe grapes.  I don’t mind a little of this aroma—in fact I think a little bit makes a wine interesting—but it’s too intense on this one.  There’s also quite a bit of smoky oak and dark berries on the nose.  The flavors are mostly blackberry, plum and a touch of coffee.  The finish tastes like green pepper.  It’s still a drinkable wine, but not ideal.

Wine: Espiritu de Chile Classic Carménère
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 81
Price: $10.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

We’ve previously reviewed a number of good wines from Cono Sur, and I’d even go so far as to say I’m a fan.  The breadth of the wines they produce is phenomenal and the quality of what we’ve tasted has been consistently good.

I think of them as an innovative and experimental producer from Chile, willing to try new techniques in order to improve the quality and character of their wines.  They even produce some really unique styles of wine, like a Carmenere Rosé—which I haven’t tasted, but piques my curiosity.

The 2007 Cono Sur Visión Carménère continues the trend of good wine coming from Cono Sur.  But this is one that I’d say is just “good” and not as good as some other wines I’ve tried from them.

Something that is interesting about this wine is the fact that they not only list the region on the label, Colchagua Valley, but they also list the block within their vineyard, Peumo.  Not that this is an unheard of practice, but I don’t see this on many wines in this price range.  Why does it matter?  If you really like this wine, there’s a good chance that you’ll find some consistency with wine from this block and can look for it in future vintages.

Licorice, blackberry, black cherry and pine aromas give it good complexity and make it interesting.  The palate is rich and fruit-filled with big blackberry and black cherry flavors. There’s also a bit of a coffee flavor.  The tannins are heavy, making it slightly astringent, but overall it has a nice mouth feel.  The dark berries and tannins coat your tongue and cling to it for a long finish.

Wine: Cono Sur Visión Carménère
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 85
Price: $15.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

Viña La Rosa is one of the oldest wineries in Chile, established in 1824 by don Francisco Ignacio Ossa y Mercado.  That’s a name and a half, if you ask me.

I’m not going to get into a lot of background on this wine, but instead jump ahead to, “90 alert, 90 alert!!!”  As a website focused on relatively inexpensive wine, we don’t come across a lot of wine that we score in the 90′s.  There’s a lot of good wine, some very good wine, but the exceptional wine is limited in this price range.  And at $18, this is edging toward the upper end of our price range. I realize that it’s just a number, and some folks detest the 100 point system, but what I’m really saying here is “this is an awesome wine!”

And while the 2008 was exceptional, we also tasted a bottle of the 2006 that was flawed and undrinkable.  So, if you seek this wine out, be sure to check the vintage.

Chocolate is all over the nose of this wine, along with plum and nutmeg.  The palate is filled with rich fruit, particularly luscious blackberry and blueberry, and that fruit lasts for a long, long, long finish.  There’s a little smokiness to this wine, which is most noticeable on the finish.  This is a very elegant wine and is exceptional for the price.

Wine: Viña La Rosa La Capitana
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $13.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

The story of Odjfell Vineyards began about 25 years ago when Norwegian ship owner Dan Odfjell acquired property in the Maipo Valley of Chile.  However, the planting of vineyards didn’t begin until about 15 years ago.  They now have vineyards in a few different Chilean appellations.

In addition to wine production, they also breed Norwegian Fjord Ponies on the Odfjell property.  Hence the pony image on the label.

This Carménère is labeled as being from “Central Valley” but if you look at the wine regions in Chile you’ll find that there is no Central Valley.  In fact, this wine is 50% from Maipo and 50% from Colchagua.  The term “Central Valley” is a generalization, rather than a specific wine region.  Because the grapes in this wine come from two different regions it must be categorized as Central Valley.

Dark fruits, blackberry and currant are prevalent on the nose of this wine and a little musty mushroom aroma makes it interesting.  There’s a touch of green pepper too, which is common in Carménère and indicative that the fruit wasn’t fully ripe at harvest.  Carménère is a late-ripening variety, which can be problematic for producers.  Personally, I don’t mind a little bit of the green pepper aroma.  I think it can add interest and character to a wine, but too much of it can be a problem.  In this wine, I don’t think it’s too strong.  On the palate, the fruit is dark and rich.  Smooth tannins give a nice mouth feel.  The finish brings a touch of black pepper, which I always like.

Wine: Odfjell Armador
Variety: Carménère
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $13.00

Find Odfjell Armador Carménère with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.

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.