Checking in with Carmerère

In 2011 Argentina surpassed Chile as the fourth largest importer of wine to the US. This of course is due to the ongoing growth of Malbec, Argentina’s main varietal. Its trajectory reminds me of the growth of Australian Shiraz many years ago, both with easy-to-brand varietal names and full-flavored & palate-friendly wines at attractive price points.

While Australia makes a vast array of great wines in varying styles, it seemed to over-leverage Shiraz. Commodity brands such as Yellow Tail devalued its wines to consumers. On the flipside, some expensive & highly rated Australian Shirazes were not aging gracefully, creating a backlash among high-end consumers. These factors combined created a bit of a lost decade for Australian wine.

I sometimes wonder if a similar leveling and subsequent decline is coming for Argentina. Like Australia, Argentina makes plenty of interesting wines. But also like Australia, the brand of the country is based on one varietal. And with growth and demand and the development of new brands comes the potential tipping point where the wines become generic in the minds of the average consumer.

Meanwhile, Argentina’s neighbor to the west continues to pump out volumes of very solid wine (especially reds). If anything, Chile seems to display the opposite of Argentina. They do a lot of things very well but don’t really appear to have one “go-to” varietal from a sales perspective. The climate of Chile tends to lend itself to wines that bridge the gap between new world and old world. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah all do very well. But it’s tough to stand out with these varietals against the more famous versions from around the world.

Carmenère seems to be the most natural varietal to lead the way for Chile. It’s unique to Chile and has a great story as the lost Bordeaux grape reappearing under the guise of Merlot. However the bell pepper and herbal notes it sometimes displays, especially in the lower-priced versions, can keep it from being as mainstream-friendly on the palate as Malbec. When at its best however, Carmenère can take those green tendencies and turn them into an exotic mix of black herbal & anise/licorice notes, framed with solid structure and bold dark fruit. Some of Chile’s best and most famous wines are Carmenère, such as Casa Lapastolle’s Clos Apalta and Montes’ Purple Angel.

You don’t have to break the bank though. Wines like the Terranoble 2010 Reserva Carmenere, Maule Valley, show bold fruit and streaks of savory herb and black pepper. This is a great little wine priced at around $12. Terranoble also ups the ante with its 2010 Gran Reserva Carmenere, Maule Valley. This comes from rocky and mineral-rich soil within the Maule Valley and is aged for a year in French and American oak. The profile features added depth and balanced structure with notes of black currant, anise, coffee & cocoa. Another great buy at around $18. Both of these wines add a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon.

For the crème de crème, I love the Montes Purple Angel. Montes was a pioneer in exporting ultra-premium Chilean wines, and along with Montes’ Alpha M (Bordeaux Blend) and Folly Syrah, Purple Angel is one of the country’s finest wines. It comes from the best blocks of Carmenere blended with 8% Petit Verdot and is sourced from Montes' two estates in the Colchagua Valley – 50% from warm and sunny Apalta and 50% from coastal and cool MarchigÜe. It's hand-picked and hand-sorted, aged 18 months in new French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

I recently opened a bottle of the 2008 Montes Purple Angel (around $50) and double decanted. It was dark, dense and full-bodied in the glass with notes of anise, cassis, black & blue berries, cocoa and espresso. Powerful juicy-ripe fruit was concentrated on the palate with integrated oak that was slightly bitter through the mid-palate. It was big and broad yet graceful throughout with polished creamy tannin and a long finish. Excellent now with decanting and should continue to hold and improve. The wine is an interesting dichotomy of hedonism and elegance, displaying alternating elements of both. 

At its best, Carmenere makes its mark as the signature red grape of Chile with interesting, powerful and endearing wines. Whether its profile can appeal to popular tastes enough to become the next hot import remains to be seen.