Grape · Bordeaux / Chile
Carmenère
kar-men-AIR
Chile's lost Bordeaux
Mistaken for Merlot for a century. Carmenère is green pepper and dark fruit, and it needs a long, warm season to shed its pyrazines.
- green pepper
- blackberry
- cocoa
- soy
- spice
Profile
Bodymedium
Acidmedium
Tanninmedium
Sugardry
Carmenère vanished from Bordeaux after phylloxera and thrived in Chile, filed under Merlot until DNA work in the 1990s. When fully ripe it is savory, dark, and distinct. When not, it is a bell-pepper smoothie.
Colchagua, Cachapoal, and warmer Maipo sites do it best. It is a steak wine with a herbal Chilean accent.
Grilled beef, smoked paprika, and empanadas.
At the table
Service
59–63 °F (15–17 °C).
