Valle Frio, Carmenère

As ever, this is so classy, velvety and smart - it tastes like a much more expensive Bordeaux! This is lush and ripe, red and black-fruited, with the characteristic leafy edge of the grape - and excellent length.

Carmenère, a French grape variety now almost forgotten in its home in Bordeaux, was only identified in Chilean vineyards by a French ampelographer, Jean-Michel Boursiquot, in 1994. It turned out that a good proportion of the nation's Merlot vineyards were actually Carmenère. Once growers distinguished the vine from Merlot, they could give it different viticultural attention: Carmenère benefits from careful canopy management and ripens three weeks after Merlot.

Country: Chile 

Region: Maule 

Vintage: 2019

Grape Variety: Carmenere

ABV: 13.5%

Size: 750ml 

Producer: Valle Frio