How A Wine Grape Fails In France And Becomes Popular In Chilean Wine

By Tom Marquardt And Patrick Darr

Over the years we have expressed our bias against carmenere, a grape variety once popular in Bordeaux but now grown almost exclusively in Chile. The commercially produced wines we tasted then just didn’t ring any bells. But a recent tasting of a flight of these wines has given us new hope.

Credit winemakers who have blazed a new trail that makes these wines more approachable and balanced while still capturing the varietal flavors.

In 1994 there were less than 25 acres of Carmenere left in the Médoc.

Once as popular as cabernet franc, the grape variety was determined less desirable by French winemakers. When phylloxera tore through the region, they replaced these vines with higher-yielding varieties.

About the same time, French cuttings were making their way to Chile – but they were misidentified as merlot. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s when a French expert in identifying grape varieties broke the startling news to winemakers: they were growing Carmenere, a cross between cabernet franc and gros cabernet. The visual distinction was that carmenere grapes were crimson red in the fall. About a third of the merlot was misidentified, so in the field, there was a mix of both varietals. That made for an interesting field blend.

Imagine the embarrassment. Besides that, the dilemma was whether to continue the masquerade or own up to Merlot’s true identity.  Even though some producers continued to produce the wine as Merlot, gradually everyone chose honesty after Chile’s governing agricultural office intervened.

Winemakers made the discovery a marketing strategy and embraced the grape that is as unique to Chile as Malbec is to Argentina. Today, Carmenere is Chile’s fourth most planted red grape varietal.

Joaquin Hidalgo, perhaps the most respected wine critic in Chile, recently led a group of wine writers through six Carmeneres that literally shocked us.  I expected to find the same overly vegetal, awkward versions I have tasted from most bulk producers.  Although these wines may be harder for consumers to find, they demonstrate the grape’s potential.

Hidalgo said the classic style is riper. Riper grapes moderate the pyrazine qualities –  green bell pepper, jalapeno, grassiness and herbal aromas. However, the new approach is to emphasize the spice and pyrazine qualities and provide a fresh, less ripe context with a good deal of spice.

Pyranzine is very divisive in the wine world. We happen to love the underrated wines of Sociando-Mallet in Haut-Medoc, but the winemaker is constantly criticized for the green pepper character of his wine. Not everyone is going to like this characteristic.

Vina San Esteban In Situ Carmenere Reserva 2020 ($13). Sourced from two vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley, this wine benefits from 18 days of maceration.  It is blended with 5 percent cabernet sauvignon. Black pepper with cassis, dark cherry flavors and a dash of dried herbs. Simple and quaffable.

Morande Vitis Unica Carmenere 2021 ($20). Using grapes from a gravelly river bed in the Maipo Valley, this fruit-forward wine has blueberry and blackberry flavors with a generous, soft mouthfeel and spice.

In Vina Luma Chequen Gran Reserva Carmenere 2020 ($17).  Blackberry flavors with red pepper notes and a hint of spice.

Terra Noble CA2 2020 ($36). From the cool Colchagua region and aged 16 months in oak, the spice factor dominates this wine. Fresh plum and berry notes in a fruit-forward style with hints of dark chocolate and bell pepper. Very masculine

Montes Wings Carmenere 2020 ($55).  This wine was a byproduct of a father-and-son disagreement on how Carmenere should be made. This compromise adopts the new style but retains the classic. Red bell pepper aromas with round blackberry and blueberry flavors.

Blaufrankisch

It is commonly said that gewurztraminer’s problem is not the wine but the hard-to-pronounce name.  The same could be said about blaufrankisch, a grape variety common to Austrian but known around the world by different names: frankovka, franconia and, in the United States, limberger.

A cross between gouais blanc and blaue zimmettraube, blaufrankisch is known for its spice and cherry flavors.  The two we recently tasted were couldn’t be any more different – a result of soil and region.

The 2019 Gunter & Regina Triebaumer Blaufrankisch ($26) was velvety with floral aromas, sour cherry notes, spice and intense.

The Birgit Braustein Leithaberg Ried Glawarinza Blaufrankisch ($57) had a much bigger body with serious tannins and dense blackberry and currant flavors with a dash of mineral.

As we head into cooler weather, these are great wines to pair with stews, wild game and beef.

Wine picks

Conde Valdemar Reserva Rioja 2015 ($30). This is one of the best Riojas we have had in a long time – well worth the price, especially given its bottle age. A blend of tempranillo (79 percent), garnacha, graciano and maturana, the wine has effusive red berry flavors with hints of cassis, cocoa and spice.  A delightful wine by itself, it would perform well against pasta, tapas, burgers and more.

Root:1 Carmenere Colchagua Valley 2022 ($12). Fresh berry and cherry notes make up this fresh and appealing wine.

Ram’s Gate Richards Vineyard Syrah 2020 ($80). Drawing grapes from a small, special vineyard, the producer has a serious syrah with great depth and richness. Herbal and black pepper aromas give way to blackberry notes, firm tannins and good length.  This can be aged or served alongside beef. We loved it.

Little Yering Victoria Chardonnay 2022 ($18). This Australian chardonnay is medium-bodied with melon and apple notes and a dash of citrus.