2008 Chono CARMENERE Reserva (Maipo Valley, Chile)

A very classically Bordeaux-styled wine from the New World -- pretty rare.  It was very good: elegant, some complexity, not a fruit bomb.

Saturated dark ruby/mulberry color.  Gorgeous nose of cedar, ripe, dark berries, smoky stones, and chocolate powder.  Concentrated, focused, and balanced, with medium-full body.  Mouthcoating (but not heavy) flavors of low-toned berries, accented with minerally sandstone and bitter milk chocolate.  Reminds me of a high-quality, old-school Margaux but at a fraction of the price.  If the finish were a bit longer I would have given it an A, but as is it's an A-.  Imported by North Berkeley Imports, I think I got this for around $13 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2008 Viu Manent "Secreto" CARMENERE (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Another well-made, good value wine from this consistent Chilean producer. Lots of flavor and body for the money.

Thickly saturated ruby mulberry color. Ripe, highly extracted nose of sticky blackberry oozings and graphite. Mouthfilling, full-bodied flavors of very ripe blackberry and cassis, with significant notes of baker's chocolate. Lots (a bit too much) of peppery heat from the alcohol intrudes on the finish. A massive bruiser of a wine. Subtle as a sledgehammer. Some may like this style better than I do. I find it just a tad overdone, particularly in the heat of summer. Still, 86, for oomph, mostly. Was under $10 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2007 Tabali CARMENERE Reserva (Limari Valley, Chile)

Yet another dynamite Chilean Carmenere.

Completely saturated plasma-like ruby crimson. Rich, ripe, sweet-scented nose of blackberry syrup, incense, and sweet, smoky gravel. Soft, yet weighty, with concentrated flavors of ripe blackberry and graphite, with a long, long finish. Loads of very fine-grained tannin to provide some physical structure. Full-bodied, but with the alcohol seemingly in check. Very, very nice. 90. Imported by SWG Imports, Bend, OR. Still trying to find the receipt. . . .

2006 Tres Valles CARMENERE Reserve (Curico Valley, Chile)

Another very good Carmenere at a fair price.

Completely saturated black ruby, shot-through with violet. Richly-sweet scents of blackberry syrup, moist tobacco leaves, and gravel. Round and thickly-textured, but with very good balance. Loads of sweet cassis and blackberry fruit, augmented with a sweet-smokey, oaky note, and some minerals in the finish. Kind of like an over-the-top Graves. 88. Was $14 and change at Spec's on Smith. Imported by Fleischer International.

(Sorry, no photo) (it's a gold label).

2008 MontGras CARMENERE RESERVA (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

A good, solid Carmenere.

Completely saturated black ruby. Low-toned nose of scorched earth, dark minerals, and iodine-y blackberries. Dense, low-toned flavors too, redolent of cassis, blackberry, and tinged with burnt herbs. Long, dry finish with lots of fairly soft tannin still to resolve. 87+ Was $12 at Kroger's on Buffalo Speedway & Westpark. Palm Bay Imports.

2007 Morande CARMENERE Reserva (Maipo Valley, Chile)

Yet ANOTHER delicious Carmenere at a very good price.

Nearly fully-saturated black ruby with violet highlights. Incredibly fruity nose -- loads of ripe blackberry and cassis fruit, with background components of smoky gravel and bell pepper (just a touch). Round, rich, full, with deep, lingering fruit and very nice balance. This is a full-bodied, potent wine that goes down way too easily. Maybe lacking a bit of complexity but at this price no one can complain. 89. Was $11.99 at Spec's on Richmond (near West Loop).

2007 Viu Manent CARMENERE Reserva (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Jeez, I'm really getting to LOVE this varietal. Carmeneres mostly fall in the $10 - 15 range, and have a flavor profile that goes well with the stews, braises, and pasta dishes I love to cook.

This is yet another winner from Viu Manent, although it is a little less overtly fruity than other vintages, maybe due to the slightly cooler year Chile had in '07.

Fully saturated black black ruby color. Intensely low-toned nose that got sweeter with air time, displaying cassis, iodine notes, pencil lead, and sweetish, smoky cinnamon component. Soft, ripe, mouthcoating flavors of cassis, blackberry, and lightly scorched earth. Extremely long, rich finish, displaying lots of soft tannin. This wine could benefit from another 2-4 years of cellaring. 89+. Was $14.99 at Whole Foods. Imported by Bacchus International (Longview, TX).

2007 La Playa "Block Selection" CARMENERE (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

This was an excellent value in a full-flavored, complex red.

Almost completely saturated black ruby color. Great nose of sweet cigar smoke, gravel, ripe blackberries, and cassis. Very much like a really good red from the Pessac-Leognan/Graves area of Bordeaux. Rich and weighty in the mouth, with deep, dark berry and earth flavors. Full-bodies, but not overly alcoholic. Lots of tannin, of the medium-soft variety, in the long, rich finish. Will clearly improve over the next 1-2 years. 88. Was $10.99 at Spec's on Westheimer. Imported by Cabernet Corporation (whatever that is).

Coupla Interesting Reds Drunk in Virginia

Was in DC for a deposition, had dinner with Liz's family there (thanks for the great pot roast, Jane!), and brought over a couple of interesting reds I picked up at Arrowine in Arlington (a store I love to visit when I'm in town).

2005 Domaine du Bel Air BOURGUEIL "Les Vingt Lieux Dits" (Loire Valley, France) -- a beautifully fragrant, flavorful, yet ethereally light-textured red, with scents of herby cassis and walnut oil and great length and balance. (Thomas Calder Imports). (Sorry, 2006 shown).

2006 Inama Carmenere "Piu" (Veneto, Italy) -- the French-born Carmenere grape isn't grown in France anymore, and probably reached its highest expression in Chile, but there are a few growers in this region of Italy that grow it. Herbal, dried leaves and dry blackberry scents. Full, deep, and featuring a fair amount of soft tannin, this wine had lengthy, low-toned flavors. Unique and flavorful. Imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct.

2008 Hacienda Araucano CARMENERE (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Another excellent, good value Carmenere. This one is $11.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.



The color was a nearly saturated, sultry black ruby. Unlike a lot of Carmeneres I've had, this one showed off its nose as soon as I opened it (usually I find that young Carmeneres are closed-nosed until they've been open a while). Lots of rich, tobacco-y, coffee grounds scents with loads of ripe blackberry syrup and gravelly earth. In the mouth it displayed a soft but dense texture, and low-toned flavors of cigar box, blackberry extract, and loamy earth. Good weight and balance, with lots of soft tannin adding some nice structure. Nice now, this will be even better in a year. 88+. (Importer: Winesellers Ltd., Skokie, Ill.)

2006 Viu Manent CARMENERE Reserva (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Like lots of other Carmeneres I've had, this wine really needs time to breathe before it starts to show its true colors. Once it airs out a bit, it's a beauty.

Eye: Completely saturated blood plasma color.

Nose: Before airing, it had a very pungent bakers' chocolate nose. After being opened a couple of hours, rich ripe cassis and plum scents wafted out, along with mocha-coffee notes and a smoky/sweet gravelly component.

Mouth: Rich, broadly-flavored, and soft, this wine has loads of ripe blackberry, gravel, and tobacco flavors. Long, lingering finish. Very nice.

Score: 90.

Cellar or drink? This is drinking really well now, but has the stuffing to hold another 2-3 years.

Price/store: Lost the receipt, but I think this was about $15 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Alcance CARMENERE (Maule Valley, Chile)

I think that this wine -- which is virtual dead-ringer for a very ripe wine from the Pessac-Leognan region of Bordeaux -- is the reserve bottling of the Calina winery's Carmenere, the 2004 vintage of which I previously reviewed here. This was very rich and interesting, though I'm not sure I liked it any better than the regular bottling.

Eye: Fully saturated plasma-like ruby with violet highlights.

Nose: Almost over-the-top richness: melted baker's chocolate, chalk, moist tobacco-leaf, loamy gravel. Oh yeah, and there's some rich blackberry fruit lurking beneath all that.

Mouth: Rich and earthy, with lots of stony minerals at first, giving way to chocolately, port-like fruit, and long, long finish full of soft tannin. Almost too much on the earthy side as opposed to the fruity side of the flavor spectrum.

Score: 88.

Cellar or drink? Drinking well now, I think this wine could improve over the next 3 years.

Price/store: Got this for $14.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2004 Luis Felipe Edwards CARMENERE "Gran Reserva" (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

An unusually elegant rendition of a Carmenere (a Chilean varietal that is fast becoming one of my favorites).


Is there really an explosion of different Chilean Carmeneres appearing in the market over the last two years or so, or am I just paying more attention these days?


This one is very polished (it even comes wrapped in paper!). Saturated, soft black ruby with violet highlights. Closed nose at first, but with significant air time, it burgeoned, opening up with scents of dark cassis and blackberry, and a scorched earth/smoky graphite component. Unlike a lot of the wines I've had recently, the flavors were even better than the nose on this one: dense, soft, lush sweet cassis, smoky earth, and subtle wood. Very long, perfectly balanced finish. 90. Was about $14 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2005 Viu Manent CARMENERE Reserve (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

This was a deep, rich, complex red at a fair price.

Dark blood/mulberry color. Rich, earthy nose with lots of deep blackberry fruit and an earthy, almost composty, wet tobacco leafy component, as well as a strong graphite edge. Rich, earthy, chocolately flavors, again with the tobacco leaf thing going on. Long fruity finish, with substantial but very soft and well-integrated tannin. Got better with significant air time, indicating to me that it will improve with a year or two of bottle age. 88+. Was $14.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.

2002 Peteroa CARMENERE Reserve (Central Valley, Chile)

This wine wasn't bad, but was made in a style that I don't like much.

Medium ruby with some brick at the rim. Nose very closed at first, giving up only vaguely cardboardy scents. I then put it under a Vacu-Vin closure for almost a week and forgot about it (I would estimate that this is the equivalent of about 4-8 hours in a decanter). When I later re-opened it, somewhat more pleasant (though not particularly assertive) scents of sweet cream, boysenberries, and dusty earth came forward. In the mouth, it reminded me of a middle of the road Bordeaux from a relatively cool year. It was kind of austere, but had decent concentration and length. 84. If you want to try this, I would definitely recommend opening and decanting it several hours ahead of time. Would match nicely with simple roasted or grilled lamb, but little else. $10.40 at Spec's on Richmond.

2004 Calina CARMENERE Reserva (Valle del Maule, Chile)

This was an excellent value. Carmenere is a varietal that used to be grown in Bordeaux in the 1800s, but was largely wiped out when the phylloxera "plague" struck Europe's vineyards, and then not re-planted after that. But it had already been brought to Chile by then, and was thriving there even more so than in Bordeaux. So Chile is really the only place left on earth where this varietal is planted in commercial significant quantities.

Deep, purplish black ruby. With an hour of air time, exhibited a great, high-toned nose of ripe mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), sweet cream, and mocha. Medium to full bodied, with tight flavors of scorched earth and cassis, with lots of stony minerals on the finish. Some tannins to shed, though they are ripe and soft. This wine will only get better over the next 2-3 years. 88+ Can't remember precisely where I got it, but I distinctly remember it was in the $7 - $8 range. Outstanding value. (I'll update this entry if I see it in a store somewhere.)

UPDATE (12/11): I saw this yesterday at Whole Foods on Bellaire for $8.99.