Carmenere / Carmenére
Pronunciation: Kahr-mayn-ayrWhere it's Grown: Carmenere is one of the original Bordeaux red varietals and was planted there for the majority of modern French wine history. When phylloxera and downy mildew devastated Bordeaux the growers gave up on this varietal that was so susceptible to mildew, fruit set problems and low yields. However by this time it had already been transported to Chile where it was planted heavily during the 19th century. Chile embraced the vine with great enthusiasm, but were under the impression that it was Merlot, not Carmenere.
Chileans grew, fermented and labeled Carmenere as Merlot up into the early 1990’s before outside ampellographers pointed out the error. Truly this grape was the reason for the “green” nature of Chilean Merlot. The naturally high pyrazine content in the skins of Carmenere are the reason for its distinctive herbal flavor. Of all the Cabernet family, it is by far the most green.
Since discovery of the difference in the vineyards the Chilean industry has moved to a riper more physiologically mature harvest level of these grapes and the wines have completely changed. We now have the joy of buying Carmenere that is nuanced with herbs instead of plagued by them. This is the one grape that Chile can latch onto and make uniquely Chilean.
What to expect: Since it is unlikely to find and example of Camenere as a varietal bottling outside of Chile, I will only give you that set of expectations. When this grape gets ripe, there are wonderful plummy notes that mingle with blackberry and blueberry. In warmer areas, and with the influence of oak aging, the fruits even become a jammed version of plum and blackberry. The color of the wines is very purple in its tone and the texture is lush not sharp. Poorly made or underripe Carmenere will taste of fresh cut green pepper or even asparagus juice. When the wine is made correctly, you taste roasted red pepper and mint. Due to the rough transitional period for this grape in the 1990’s it is still an exceptional value.
