- WINERY Viña Apaltagua
- GRAPE Carmenère
- YEAR 2007
- COUNTRY Chile
- REGION Apalta
Chile’s Apaltagua winery makes wines exclusively from Carmenère, a red grape that yields fruity, earthy wines similar to Merlot.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
With its mellifluous name, you’d be right to guess that Carmenère (car-men-YAIR) is native to France. But this red grape ripens too late for Bordeaux, where it originated, and the French abandoned it. Chile is another story. In its longer growing season, Carmenère produces lush, chocolaty reds with plump fruit flavors. This blackberry-rich bottling was made by Álvaro Espinoza, a prominent Chilean winemaker who was one of the first to realize that much of the country’s supposed Merlot vines were actually this long-lost variety.
SMELL IT
Black licorice scents with a whiff of mint.
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TASTE IT
Bold and peppery, with blackberry flavors and a grippy finish.
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SERVE IT
Cellar temperature—the bottle should be cool to the touch.
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