2022 Vina Carmen Carmenere Gran Reserva
Type of Wine | Red |
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Country | Chile |
Region | |
Winery | |
Vintage | 2022 |
Grape | |
Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (13.5%) |
Drink window | 2023 - 2028 |
Description
The Carmen Gran reserva is a blend of Carmenère 95%/Cabernet Sauvignon 5%. The wine has a powerful expression of the warm terroir of Apalta, full, intense, rich with a velvety aftertaste, peppery and creamy at the same time. The nose is so typical of the Carmenère grape, a mix of spiciness, chocolate, tobacco and beautiful fruit, pleasant vanilla, sweet plums and cherries.
When making the Carmenère Gran Reserva, Carmen also chose one vineyard, with an ideal terroir for this grape. It concerns Apalta, in the heart of the Colchagua Valley. Apalta was one of the first terroirs seen by pioneers such as Aurelio Montes as the ideal place for high-class viticulture. For the first time, the decision was made to plant vineyards on slopes instead of in the flat valley. The grapes ripen more slowly and better, so that the wines acquire a velvety and beautifully deep character. Carmen's “Peñasco” vineyard is located in the highest part of Apalta. The poor soil slows down the leaf growth of the vines and stimulates the ripening of the grapes. At the same time, the temperatures here are high enough for perfect ripening of the Carmenère. For the color and storage of the primary fruit, a week's cold soak at 4-5 ºC was applied. During fermentation on the skins, a slightly higher temperature was chosen than for the other grapes, around 29 ºC, to extract extra flavor from the grapes. This fermentation lasted no less than six weeks. The wine was then aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. A little bit of Cabernet provides some extra spice and strength in this special red wine.
Specifications
Type of Wine | Red |
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Country | Chile |
Region | Colchagua Valley |
Winery | Vina Carmen |
Grape | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2022 |
Drinking as of | 2023 |
Drinking till | 2028 |
Alcohol % | 13.5 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Tasting Profiles | Earthy, Rustic, Dark fruit, Dry, Aged on wood, Powerful, Spicy, Full |
Drink moments | Barbecue, Cadeau!, Lekker luxe, Met vrienden, Open haard |
Wijnhuis
Carmen is the oldest of the bodegas still active in Chilean viticulture. The house was founded in 1850 by Chistian Lanz, who named the winery after his beloved wife Carmen. Until 1987 it led a fairly inconspicuous existence. However, it was then taken over by the Claro family, who were also involved as co-owners in companies such as Santa Rita and Los Vascos. Substantial investments were made, and the opportunity was seized to establish one of Chile's most modern wine companies. In 1994, the carménère grape variety was rediscovered in the vineyards of Carmen. It was long thought that this grape variety was extinct because of the phylloxera, but research showed that the grape was still planted in the Alta Maipo Valley vineyards of Carmen. Since its rediscovery, the carménère grape has become the signature variety for Chilean viticulture. Due to the construction at the foot of the Andes mountains, the new cellars from the winery could be constructed in such a way that all movements with the wine only take place under the influence of gravity. The use of pumps, which somehow 'damage' the wine, make it less of a quality, is completely avoided in this way.
However, the basis of Carmen's success does not even lie in the state-of-the-art installations, but in the vineyard. The professional team of oenologists, led by María del Pilar González, also plays an important role in the production of quality wines. With its arrival in the early 1990s, the emphasis was placed on the quality of the grapes by the young winemaker Alvaro Espinoza. Now that winemaker Emily Faulconer has taken over Carmen's premium range, the focus is on making wines with their own identity and salvaging the value of the terroir they come from. Winemaker Emily Faulconer studied agricultural engineering at the Universidad Católica de Chile. She worked in wineries in the United States (Cakebread Cellars), New Zealand (Trinity Hill Winery) and France (Chateau Canon). Faulconer has also previously worked as head winemaker in Viña Arboleda, where she managed the viticultural and viticultural areas, emphasizing the production of fine wines with a sense of origin.