Description

We field lots of wine questions from international travelers.  Recently one inquiry regarded a visit to Chile and traveling south of Santiago by car to explore the Colchagua Valley which is best known for producing some of the world’s finest Carmenere.

Before the root louse phylloxera devastated European vineyards in the 1860s, Carmenere was considered one of the 6 red Bordeaux varietals.  French and Italian immigrants brought vine cuttings of Carmenere to plant in Chile, and another Bordeaux varietal, Malbec to plant in Argentina.  The rest is history.

Aside from travel advice, our customer was interested in doing some homework bottles of exemplary Carmenere which can be extremely expensive (Clos Apalta and Montes).  Our “research” found an extraordinary value from one of Colchagua Valley’s earliest pioneers, Casa Silva!  We have sold Carmenere from Case Silva in the past, but the 2023 Casa Silva Los Lingues Vineyard is a very special single vineyard designated value indeed!

We found the wine darkly colored with an abundance of ripe blackberry fruit dominate the aromas and flavor profile, but it’s the wine’s underlying blend of exotic and complex spices that are so compelling….ranging from cinnamon bark and black pepper, to notes of wild herbs and underbrush (garrigue).  On the medium-bodied palate one enjoys a smooth mouth coating “glide”.  So easy to drink!  We devoured a bottle with Renee’s spicy four bean chili….like “milk and cookies”! 

This is the perfect wine for holiday entertaining, gift giving, or your new house red wine! Try and you will be a believer!!