Exciting Wine Made From Some Of The Oldest Carmenere Vines In Chile
Section of Carménère vines getty
Despite this accidental discovery happening to the exceptionally well-respected agronomist and enologist Dr. Jean-Michel Boursiquot, who collaborated with U.C. Davis by studying the origins of several French grapes, he was not well-known to much of the wine industry. But on that day in 1994, he unintentionally carved his name into wine history by discovering that most of the Merlot that was seemingly brought over to Chile from Bordeaux, France in the 19th century was actually Carménère, a grape that virtually disappeared once the Bordeaux region started replanting after the devastating effects of phylloxera. He was in Chile for other reasons, leading a conference, and decided to visit Viña Carmen, the oldest winery in Chile, because he had a former student who worked there. Unbeknownst to him, this casual side trip had a profound impact on Chile as an emerging wine country.
Santa Rita Estate Viña Santa Rita
Today, only a handful of producers in Bordeaux have replanted Carménère and incorporate a small amount into their wines. Chile has made Carménère its signature grape, and there is a range of styles and terroirs from where it is sourced. There is one area that has some of the oldest Carménère vines in the world and happens to be located in Apalta, the "grand cru" of the highly esteemed Colchagua region, and the second oldest wine producer in Chile, which also owns Carmen today, stands out with two different single vineyard bottlings of Carménère from old vines: Viña Santa Rita.
Carménère was the underappreciated grape among its Bordeaux siblings, as it is an even later ripener than Cabernet Sauvignon, and so it needs a growing season that stays warm for an extended period. It was an obvious choice to avoid replanting it after the devastation of phylloxera, and then it ended up in bundles of Merlot vines when brought to Chile in the mid-1800s. Although such a massive mistake with thousands of Carménère vines unintentionally planted across the wine regions of Chile seems like an infuriating tragedy, especially for an initially struggling wine country trying to gain respect from the rest of the world, it has become an exciting signature grape for the country, which has adopted it as one of its local grapes.
Sebastián Labbé Viña Santa Rita
But since its discovery in 1994, the journey to earning the recognition it deserved was a very bumpy one. It became known as a wine that was too herbaceous when picked early to retain freshness or too heavy and lackluster when picked later to avoid the intense herbaceous quality. Viña Santa Rita winemaker Sebastián Labbé said that he has been obsessed with finding that ideal balance with Carménère. His obsession lies in the vineyards, where he spends most of his time. He was able to showcase the beautiful fruit character while also illustrating a strong sense of place from a single vineyard. Sebastián was born in Chile but received his education in New Zealand, where he worked at top wineries, and later in Australia. He started working at Viña Carmen in 2005 as head winemaker until 2017, and then he was brought to Viña Santa Rita, where he is a winemaker for their ultra-premium wines.
Upon arriving at Viña Santa Rita, one of his objectives was to preserve the purity and freshness of their Carménère wines, while discovering the perfect level of ripeness that yields an irresistible, vibrant juiciness in their single-vineyard wines, which feature 90-year-old vines. Sebastián may be fiercely vigilant about being hands-on in the vineyards, but he is extremely hands-off in the winery, and his vigilance with the vines makes that possible. A Real Home
Landscape of Santa Rita Viña Santa Rita
Now the biggest challenge for Sebastián is to keep his two old vine, single vineyard Carménère wines from selling out too fast, "Floresta" and "Pewën de Apalta," as one was ranked 35th in the prestigious Wine Enthusiast's 'The Best Wines of 2024' list and the other was named the Best in Chile and Best Apalta in the esteemed Descorchados South American wine guides in 2023, respectively.
Today, Carménère is considered a local grape of Chile even though it is not indigenous, yet there is a case to be made that Chile is its true home. While it's generally better to seek out the birthplace of something and try it there, there are always exceptions, just as a person who doesn't fit into his birthplace must flee to a distant location to thrive, be appreciated and form a mutually beneficial relationship with their new home. The same is true for Carménère, as it requires a longer, warmer growing season than Bordeaux has historically provided, and it does well in hot, dry conditions. Perhaps it is best to try something in a place where it shows its best attributes, which is why Carménère will always be considered a wine that expresses the soul of Chile.
Santa Rita Floresta lineup of wines Cathrine Todd
The two Carménère wines below are both from the "grand cru" area of Apalta, they are both dry-farmed single vineyards, and they are both 100% Carménère. Yet the "Floresta" is a fresher style ultra-premium wine, as opposed to the richer yet still fresh "Pewën de Apalta," the top-of-the-line Carménère from Santa Rita.
2022 Santa Rita "Floresta" Carménère, Apalta, Chile: 100% Carménère from a single vineyard with 90-year-old vines that are dry-farmed. Charming supple tannins with an overall vibrancy, with raspberry tart flavors intermixed with black tea and dried flowers, that is filled with juicy fruit and a strong backbone of minerality. Simply irresistible.
Santa Rita Pewën de Apalta Carménère Cathrine Todd
2022 Santa Rita "Pewën de Apalta" Carménère, Apalta, Chile: 100% Carménère from a single vineyard with vines planted in 1938 in the Apalta foothills with weathered granite soils. A deeper, more concentrated and fuller-bodied wine then their Floresta bottling and Pewën de Apalta is their top-of-the-line Carménère. Multilayered nose of cigar box, red cherries, pulverized granite and cinnamon stick with velvety texture and blackberry liqueur flavors intertwined with espresso and black truffle with lots of fresh acidity along the luxuriously textured finish that is lively as well as rich. Both Carménère wines are 100% varietal, which is not typical, as many winemakers blend other varieties to achieve balance. Yet Sebastián Labbé can find the balance in the vineyard.
The Floresta range from Santa Rita has a greater emphasis on the brightness and clarity of the grape variety, with a focus on complete transparency.
Santa Rita Floresta Chardonnay Cathrine Todd
2022 Santa Rita "Floresta" Chardonnay, Limarí Valley, Chile: 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard. Limarí is a special place in Chile with a desert climate influenced by maritime factors, with calcium carbonate deposits on clay topsoil for this Chardonnay. A wine that evokes the ocean with aromas of sea spray and oyster shells, with crisp acidity, ripe peaches balanced by marked acidity and lots of tension in the wine.
2021 Santa Rita "Floresta" Cabernet Franc, Alto Jahuel, Maipo Valley, Chile: 100% Cabernet Franc from a single vineyard. Alto Jahuel is located in the upper part of the Maipo Valley, along the edge of the Andes Mountains, and benefits from a cooler climate at higher altitudes. However, some sections are cooler than others. This Cabernet Franc has an outstanding balance between the right amount of delectable fruit, with a remarkable vitality, a thrilling nose of violets, warm raspberries and tree bark with a chalky minerality, and a hint of forest floor that is all wrapped together with fine tannins.
2022 Santa Rita "Floresta" Cabernet Sauvignon, Alto Jahuel, Maipo, Chile: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard. Maipo first found its fame with great Cabernet Sauvignon, powerful wines, yet this Floresta illustrates the fresher style with finesse. The aromas of this wine dance and prance with agility and grace, reminiscent of a flower bouquet. The blackcurrant sorbet, with star anise crumbled on top, has an elegant texture to the tannins, with a slight structure that gives shape and lift.
Santa Rita Triple C Estate Bottling Cathrine Todd
2021 Santa Rita "Triple C" Estate Bottling, Maipo Valley, Chile: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Cabernet Franc and 8% Carménère. This wine blends the three Cs from two different vineyards, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are planted together. Deeply concentrated wine that is lush yet nimble, offering the deliciousness of decadent fruit such as cassis and black cherry cobbler, complemented by round tannins and a long finish that leaves aromas of crushed rocks and pressed lilacs lingering in the head.
Santa Rita Casa Real Cathrine Todd
2020 Santa Rita "Casa Real" Alto Jahuel, Maipo, Chile: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the legendary Carneros Viejo Vineyard. Santa Rita's Casa Real was the first iconic wine of Alto Jahuel in Maipo. A real sophistication to the structure of this wine that has big, broad shoulders that are finely chiseled and seamlessly integrated into the wine with tobacco leaf and black raspberry liqueur, with added complex notes of graphite and smoldering earth, with an extraordinarily long finish that is flavorful, multifaceted and driven with precision.
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