I’ve recently been doing a short series on Carménère, highlighting the new styles winemakers are producing from this once thought to be lost grape. It was once one of the grapes used to produce Bordeaux until 1867, when a pest called phylloxera destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe and completely decimated Carménère vineyards there. […]
Carmenere
Review: In Situ Reserva Carménère
Last week I published a post about Luma Chequén Gran Reserva Carménère and highlighted the new approach many producers in Chile are taking with Carménère. In a nutshell, producers are embracing the pyrazine qualities of Carménère to showcase the true essence of this grape. So as not to repeat myself, you can read that previous […]
Luma Chequén Gran Reserva Carménère
Let me begin by saying, “I was wrong about Carménère.” This is not the first time I’ve had to admit being wrong and it won’t be the last. But fortunately, I’m willing to own up to it when I’m wrong and change my thinking… which, in my humble opinion, is more important than being right […]
Review: Koyle Gran Reserva Carmenere
Carménère is a grape with a great story. It was one of the original six grapes permitted in red Bordeaux wines. Then it was thought to be extinct, after phylloxera wiped out most of the vineyards in Europe in 1867. But then in the mid-1990’s Carménère was rediscovered growing in Chile, where it had been incorrectly […]
Gran Reserva Serie Riberas, Carmenere
A couple weeks ago I wrote about a carmenere from Concha y Toro under their Marques de Casa Concha brand that really hit the mark. In that post I commented about my general avoidance of carmenere due to it often being disappointing. But now here I am a couple weeks later singing praises for another […]
Marques de Casa Concha, Carmenere
When I first learned about carmenere several years ago I was enchanted. The idea that this Bordeaux grape, which was thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in South America is a great story. Although I was enchanted, I soon found myself avoiding carmenere due to quality issues. In addition to being a rediscovered grape, it’s […]
Emiliana Natura, Carmenere – Amazing!
I usually approach carmenere cautiously. Due to the nature of the grape, if producers harvest underripe grapes it results in a strong green pepper aroma and flavor. A little bit of that can be OK, maybe even interesting. But too much of it is just not enjoyable. When carmenere is done right, however, it can […]
Santa Carolina, Reserva de Familia, Carmenère – Spicy and Good
I love the story of carmenère, the lost grape of Bordeaux rediscovered in Chile after it was thought to have disappeared from our planet. When I first heard about it, I was entranced by the magical story and wanted to celebrate this grape and make it one of my staple wines. But not long after […]
Calcu Carménère – Clumsy, but Enjoyable
I’ve been posting carménère reviews lately and here’s another bargain carménère from Chile. This one comes from the Colchagua Valley, a region known for its red wines – including carménère. The spice is pretty heavy on the nose of this wine. It’s loaded with nutmeg, clove, toasted oak and vanilla. That’s backed up by plenty of blackberry, blueberry […]
Maquis Carménère – Big, Dark and Delicious
Following up from the last review, here is another Chilean carménère. This one comes from Maquis in the Colchagua Valley. The story of Maquis dates back almost 90 years to when the first vineyards were planted on the estate. For most of its existence the owners only grew grapes to sell to other winemakers, but in […]