Description
Tarapacá has different ways of making wine. In this series the wines are concentrated and powerful and the characteristics of the grape are supported with a beautiful integrated wood touch.
The Carmenere from the Maipo valley is the most difficult grape that can give different wines every year. Usually the Carmenere grape gives sultry, coffee caramel like wines with some paprika tones. It is fermented in stainless steel barrels and then matured in small French wooden barrels which gives the wine extra seductive aromas.
Inside info from the winemaker:
To make the wine just a little more expressive, the winemaker sometimes adds a few percent Cabernet Sauvignon. That is perhaps exactly why this Carmenere is such a success.
Carmenère grape
Variety rediscovered in Chile in the mid-1990s.
Carmenère was once widely planted in Bordeaux and was brought to Chile from there in the late 19th century. In Bordeaux it was wiped out by phylloxera and was not replanted because of its structural susceptibility to disease.
In Chile, carmère has long been mistaken for merlot, although they are two varieties with quite different characteristics. After initial hesitation, carmère is now 'hot' in Chile and has more or less become the 'national grape'.
Drink with: