From Mistaken Identity to Signature Grape: Carmenère’s Chilean Chapter
-from andes to ocean: the 'cool' secrets of chilean wines
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What can you say about Chilean wines?
By far, Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape of Chile. However, their signature grape is Carmenère, even though it is often a blending grape.
Why a signature grape then?
Mainly because Chile has become Carmenère’s adoptive home, similar to how Malbec, a Bordeaux, France grape, transplanted itself to Argentina. Again, like Malbec, Carmenère is an allowed Bordeaux grape – its native home. Even though it was widely grown in Médoc in left bank Bordeaux in the early 18th century, it is now considered a very minor grape there.
Carmenère is barely grown anywhere else in the world. There are some plantings in Italy where it was misidentified as Cabernet Franc, and in China where it was misnamed Cabernet Gernischt.
Oh yeah, wasn’t there a similar story for Carmenère in Chile?
Absolutely. It was believed to be Merlot until it was identified as Carmenère in 1994. They called it Chilean Merlot, as it ripened 2-3 weeks later than Merlot typically does. In fact, it ripens later than even Cabernet Sauvignon. In Bordeaux, Carmenère was often barely fully ripe. As a result, it was rarely replanted after the phylloxera (an aphid/louse) infestation which decimated Bordeaux vineyards in the 1800s.
So for Chile, marketing wise, having a special story around Carmenère is advantageous.
People love stories!
Yes, and as a late ripening grape it is also better suited to Chile’s warmer climate versus Bordeaux. Even in Chile, grape growers need to consider where it is planted. It needs a warm (but not too warm) and sunny site. When the grapes are underripe, the wines are overly herbaceous and have harsh tannins. When the grapes are too ripe, the wines become overly alcoholic and therefore are out of balance.
Sounds like a goldilocks situation!
Agreed – some grapes are more finicky that way.
It does have similar characteristics to Cabernet Sauvignon, as they are related. They are half-siblings as they share Cabernet Franc as a parent. Their second parents are different with Cabernet Sauvignon having Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenère having Cabernet Gros as their second parent.
It’s interesting that Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc all have those herbaceous notes. Must be genetic! Quite cool!
Exactly - it is definitely genetic! I will leave this for another time, but at a high level these grapes offer an herbal/green pepper characteristic as they all contain compounds called methoxypyrazines, pyrazines for short.
In a concentration that is in balanced with the wine’s other flavors, pyrazine flavors add complexity. If the grapes are not ripe enough pyrazines would be considered a fault. As with any compound, we all have different sensitivities to it, not to mention personal preferences.
Can we talk Chile geography?
Chile is very unique geographically. It is the world’s narrowest and the second longest country. It is approximately 4300 km long in the north-south direction and has an average width of 175 km. Its west coast is shaped by the Pacific Ocean, and the Andes mountain range to the east forms its border with neighboring Argentina.
I associate Chile with heat. How does that impact the grapes and wine quality?
Yes, most of the vineyards are in a warm Mediterranean climate at relatively low latitude, spanning around 30-to-40-degrees S, which results in intense sunlight. So the best quality vineyards have cooling influences, with the greatest influences from the Andes and the Pacific.
For the most eastern vineyards, particularly if planted on or near the foothills, cool mountain air descends from the Andes overnight.
Large Diurnals!
Indeed, diurnal is the difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. Large diurnals mean the grapes get cooled at night, giving them a break from ripening. This results in retained acidity and complexity of flavors in the grapes. Think of it as a stew or soup that improves with time.
Another element that impacts the climate and weather is the coastal range to the west. The coastal range is a mountain range that parallels the Pacific coast of North and South America. It blocks the ocean’s cooling breezes, mists, and fog. There are certain breaks in the range which allow these cooling effects from the ocean to blow inland, creating favorable grape growing areas.
What if there is no break? Is it too hot for quality grape growing, seeing as South America is quite warm?
Indeed, some of these warmer areas without cooling influences are ideal for making inexpensive wines, as the quality is inferior. This is mainly the case for the Central Valley as seen on the map. The goal is to grow the most grapes as cheaply as possible.
Okay so mental note, avoid all those names associated with the Central Valley!
Actually no.
This brings us to Apalta, a sub-sub-sub region of the Central Valley.
Sub to the power of three? You are joking right?
Within the Central Valley wine region exists the Rapel Valley sub-region, which contains the Colchagua Valley sub-sub region, where the Apalta sub-sub-sub region resides.
Okay so it IS a sub-sub-sub-region!
Apalta is a high quality area due to surrounding hills that form a south facing amphitheatre. For the southern hemisphere this exposure results in less direct and intense sunlight on the vineyards. Western cool breezes also get trapped within the curved hill formation. Lastly, to the south is the Tinguiririca River which produces an additional cooling effect on the vineyards.
So even though Apalta is not in the foothills, and it is technically in the centre of the very warm Central Valley, you can expect very good to outstanding wines from here. It is this type of area that you can expect to find high quality single-varietal (aka not blended) Carmenère.
Okay, this is making salivate as it seems like I have been transported there, and it is a very pleasant place indeed!
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Lapostolle ‘Cuvée Alexandre’ Apalta Carmenère 2021 from Colchagua Valley, Chile
Style: Old world style moderately full body red
Varieties: 97% Carmenère, 3% Syrah
This rich wine has a touch of florality with flavors of fresh raspberry, cranberry, cherry (red, sour, black, and kirch), black plum, cassis, blueberry, and fruit cake. Further complexity is provided by mint, garrigue, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, coconut, earth, leather, tobacco, animal, wet leaves, and mushroom flavors. This wine has fine, moderately high tannins of high quality and a long finish.
Best pairings: Grilled/roasted lamb or beef seasoned with sage or rosemary, Grilled skirt steak or portobello mushrooms with chimichurri sauce, Stuffed green bell peppers, Cheese: herbed medium cheese or smoked gouda.
Serving Temperature: 16-18 degrees Celsius
Serving Tips: Decant and serve immediately.
Price: ~$36 Cdn
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SOURCES:
Harding, J. and Robinson, J. (2023) The oxford companion to wine. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
MacNeil, K. (2022) The wine bible. New York, NY: Workman Publishing.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Wines of chile (2024). Available at: https://www.winesofchile.org/ (Accessed: 14 January 2025).
Wines – lapostolle wines (no date) – Tienda Le Club. Available at: https://lapostollewines.com/en/wines/#cuvee (Accessed: 14 January 2025).
Wine map of Chile (no date) vineyards. Available at: https://vineyards.com/wine-map/chile (Accessed: 14 January 2025).