Howdy. I’m back at it again and FINALLY getting
around to reviewing the Carménère that Peyton picked out at total
wine. Also, shout out to Sarah,
Caroline, and Chris for sniffing/tasting this wine and other delicious wines with
me during the infamous Caps + Wine night (#StreamStarWars).
Also shout out to Garrett for the amazing new wine glass (WITH A MAP OF
BLACKSBURG ON IT)!
After attempting to find a
Hungarian or eastern European wine that was not Tokaji (like $60 usually for a
demi) or from Greece, Peyton suggested we find a Chilean wine and I knew exactly what
varietal to go for: Introducing the Natura Carménère…
Winery: Emiliana Organic Vineyards - Natura
Grapes: Carménère (at least 85%, may contain some Syrah and Merlot)
Region: (Valle de) Colchagua
Country: Chile
Vintage: 2015
Price: $9
Background
Ah Carménère…Once thought to be
extinct, this lesser Bordeaux blending varietal survived by masquerading itself
as another grape! I suppose this validates
the phrase “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
Yes, this grape was not a super important grape among the growers of
Bordeaux…perhaps why it made it down to South America as a Spanish colonial planting in
Chile. Chileans started making good wine
eventually, mistaking this grape for the fabulous Merlot (very close cousins with it and Cab Sauv).
They sold it off as such until they DNA tested the grapes/vines in the
90s to confirm the prodigal son had returned from near death. When Phylloxera devastated Bordeaux (and
basically everywhere else) in the late 1800s, growers opted to replant easier
growing Cab Sauv and Merlot instead of Carménère. SAD!
Therefore, Carménère is almost exclusively grown in Chile today, with a small
number of plantings in China and Italy.
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| Carménère compared with... |
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| ...Merlot. Not much of a difference. |
“So what’s the big deal? This sounds like a huge B-side. I’d rather buy trendy varietals like Cab Sauv
and Merlot.”
Fools! Don’t you see where I’m going? This grape is basically Merlot, grown in a
place where wine can be made cheaply, and is generally available at wine
retailers in the USA. It is the answer to
the eternal question of bang for your buck.
All of Chile follows this rule for that matter. There are amazing wines from Chile that rival
most California sluggers, usually for half the price. They make excellent value Cabernet Sauvignon
also, which may be the better direct comparison.
However, this may not be the case
forever. Some big-name houses from the
old world have staked a claim in Chile.
One I know of for sure is perhaps the most famous of them all: The
Premier Grand Cru Château Lafite-Rothschild of Bordeaux itself. Their Chilean winery is called Los Vascos
(also in Colchagua), which produces A-MAZING wine for a (far) more reasonable
price than their French château. How do I
know? Cuz I got a bottle for my graduation.
It was easily the best wine I have ever tasted (it had flavor profile
changes for 2 minutes after swallowing, all while being super balanced).
 |
| Bordeaux-ish style blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah, Carménère, and Malbec. |
Now the geography: Colchagua
(within the Rapel Valley) is a well-known valley in the central region of
Chile. Generally, all great Chilean wine
comes from 3 regions in central Chile very close to the capital of Santiago:
Colchagua/Rapel, Casablanca, and Maipo. Colchagua
makes the most Carménère and generally has a bigger expression of the grape
than others, especially its delicate Maipo cousins. In
Chile, the Andes Mountains are so close to the coastline that each valley
really has an amazing range of climates within themselves. From coast to mountains the climate is cool,
warmer, then either very cool or still warm.
As you can imagine, wines from the same valley (and only a car ride
away) can be drastically different. Similarly,
wines from just across the mountains in Mendoza (a/the benchmark for
Argentinian Malbec), have a completely different taste.
 |
| Note how close Mendoza is right across from Aconcagua. |
Emiliana’s website is an
interesting place. Chickens and other
fowl (teehee) creatures are running across your screen as you peruse the interactions. They are a very large company growing
exclusively in Chile that has a ton of organic practices in their
winemaking. They brag about having bugs,
small critters, and even llamas running around in their vineyards. Natura is one of their ventures located in (couldn’t
find out for sure but guessing based on hints) a warmer Colchagua climate…most
likely in the mid-valley equidistant from the sea and mountains.
Walk away with this: Chile has (some
of) the best value wines in the world. Go
get one now but be prepared for an herbaceous overtone.
Color: Garnet. In other words a sort of medium-dark red with no
hints of a darker blue or purple. Sparkly
in the light.
 |
| The wine Feat. amazing glass from Garrett. |
Smell: Woof. It tickles the nose
as it says “¿Cómo estás?” On the forefront is the unmistakable jalapeño/green
peppercorn. I also smell some more
obscure berries and cherry. A sort of
medium red profile overall with some slight toasty oak spice too.
Taste: A lot easier going than
you would think. Sort of reminds me of
Cabernet Franc’s ability to have super complex sniff and then just sit on your
tongue. In this case I might say it is a
little too bland, but certainly a great sipper.
Perhaps it is because I was expecting spice from the smell that it feels
bland. Anyways…I actually notice acidity in this wine and a slight bit of sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Good grainy tannins that add to the overall
soft fruity flavor with mouth-feel. Body
is lighter than expected unless you swish around and agitate the tannins. The fruit I sniffed is there but I can’t say
it stands out.
After a bit: I have officially decided: that
soft blandness is the same soft blandness that you feel when chocolate melts on
your tongue. The fruit is present in
this also (think a fancy raspberry dark chocolate piece).
 |
| Yes that is a beer bottle next to it. See the "side note" later on. |
Overall, it’s damn good for
$9. Very similar to Cabernet Franc and
certainly also Merlot. I always say that
Merlot goes equally well with steak and chocolate and I suspect a similar
trend here.
Overall: 8.123 / 10
Value: $$$$ / 5
A side note: I used the swing top
beer bottle you see in the bottle pic to store the leftover from Caps + Wine
night. I filled it almost to the brim
and stuck it in the fridge for 2 weeks.
After letting it warm up I can confirm there is little difference. If I had just left it in the wine bottle and
on the kitchen table, the wine would have a very bitter-acidic taste by this time.
Make sure when storing wine to
leave as little air as possible to interact with the wine in the vessel. Air naturally contains the bacteria that
converts alcohol to acetic acid (vinegar).
If there’s little air, there’s fewer bacteria; if it’s in the fridge,
the cooler temperature slows down that small number of bacteria.
There are also fancy devices that create vacuums or use non-reactive gases like Argon to take the place of air...I may have more on this at a later date.
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Zraly’s Windows on the World
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