The Carménère Grape

(Synonyms: Bordo, Cabernelle, Carbouet, Cabernet Gernicht, Cabernet Gernischet, Cabernet Gernischt, Cabernet Shelongzhu, Carbonet, Carbouet, Caremenelle, Carménègre, Carménère, Carmeneyre, Grosse Vidure)

Background

Carménère is a red-wine grape originating in Bordeaux, but now grown almost exclusively in Chile (chiefly in the Colchagua Valley, Rapel Valley, and Maipo Province). It is generally considered one of the dozen and a half or so of world-class red-wine grapes.

In Bordeaux, Carménère was, and to a small extent still is, one of the minor blending grapes in the red-wine blends characteristic of that region. In the New World, it has achieved respect and is typically bottled as a monovarietal, or with only small admixtures of other reds. A key factor is that it needs a long, warm growing season to succeed: Bordeaux lacks that, but Chile does not. Chile “inherited” the varietal from French emigrés who brought cuttings over in the 19th century. For a long time, those were mistakenly thought to be Merlot, but genetic analysis corrected the error and led to the grape’s resurgence as a premier varietal.

Its qualities are broadly similar to those of its Bordeaux “stablemates”, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Its chief distinguishing characteristic is a smoky, dusty quality; its fruit tends to be “darker”, and it is fairly light on tannins.

Tasters regularly report two broad styles, which might crudely be called “good” and “bad”. The grape seems always to have a bit of green-pepper taste; the distinction is whether that is an accent (good) or dominates (bad). Even the same vintner can produce lines of both kinds in a given year.

Note: the original spelling of the grape and wine is Carménère, and we use that throughout; but more and more nowadays, it is being rendered without the accents as just “Carmenere” (or sometimes with two accents: Carménère).

Factoid: Carménère might be the Biturica, an valued grape in ancient Rome and the name by which what is now the city of Bordeaux was then known.

Some Descriptions of Carménère Wines

Wikipedia
“Carménère wine has a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. The tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon and it is a medium body wine. . . [W]hen produced from grapes at optimal ripeness, [Carménère] imparts a cherry-like, fruity flavor with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep crimson color. Its taste might also be reminiscent of dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather. The wine is best to drink while it is young.”
Bill St. John, The mystery of carmenere, Chicago Tribune, quoting Armand d’Armailhacq, a 19th-century proprietor and magistrate in Bordeaux’s Medoc:
“Its flavor is excellent. The taste is even better than the two cabernets; the wine it produces reflects these qualities. It is mellow, yet full and rich in body. It mixes well with (the) cabernets, to which it adds a rounder flavor. It lasts about as long, and with age, improves toward perfection.”
Chris Kern, Forgotten Grapes
“Black currants, blackberries, pomegranate. The dark fruits hit you up front and then evolve into even darker flavors as the wine sits in your mouth: more semi-sweet chocolate (maybe even bordering on one of those 71% cacao bars you find in those chic-chic chocolate boutiques that have popped up in malls recently), tobacco, licorice root. The richness of Carmenere won’t be denied, although there will be one notable thing missing from your mouthful – tannins. Tannins are virtually nonexistent in a Carmenere. As you swallow, you may get no aftertaste, or you may get a strong coffee flavor that will stay with you. That’s the beauty of Carmenere: like a box of espresso-and-tobacco laced chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get, but you’re going to want to come back for more and more again and again.”
Jason Wilson, The Washington Post
“What I like about the best Carmenere is its distinctive pepper, spice and deep, dark fruit character, more plum than berry. When it’s good, there’s really nothing like it. The grape has been found to have very high concentrations of compounds called methoxypyrazines, which in some wines produce a strong herbaceous or green pepper aroma - even higher than, say, cabernet franc or cabernet sauvignon. At times, that can be a flaw: When Carmenere smells too much like musty bell pepper, it’s out of balance. But when you get a hint of spicy green pepper on the nose, along with jammy or stewed-fruit notes, Carmenere can be delicious.”
Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Breche, The Wall Stret Journal
“Carmenere is a unique taste. It has not-so-easy-to-cozy-up-to tastes of black pepper and herbal green bell pepper that are quite unusual, and it has a very dark color and a medium body. We have written in the past that it might not be for everybody because it’s slightly challenging. In our tasting, we found that, too often, winemakers had decided that the character of Carmenere might indeed be too challenging and, as a result, they clobbered their wine with wood. Too many of the wines were heavy with oaky, sweet-wood, vanilla tastes that obscured the essential character of the grape and left it a fairly generic red. Many, in fact, could easily have passed for forgettable, inexpensive Merlots. It’s not that any of the wines were terrible, but simply that too many were boring and lead-footed. They were shrugging, why-bother wines. The best of the wines, however, showed what a shame this development is.”
Jennifer Raezer, ApproachGuides
“At its best, it delivers smooth full-bodied wines, packed with huge fruit and savory, spicy notes; flavors include herbs, bell pepper, smoke, coffee, blackcurrants, leather, and tobacco. Acidity levels are low and it is best consumed young. While there are certainly varietally-produced versions, Carménère-based wines often incorporate small amounts of other grape varieties — cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot — to provide structure and acidity.”
Ted Loos, epicurious
“Carmenere is a bit softer than Cabernet Sauvignon and a touch gamier than Merlot in the flavor department. Red fruit (raspberries, red currants, and the like) and spice are usually Carmenere’s dominant notes, with a plush, mouth-filling feel when it’s done right.”
theKitchn
“Wines are not as firmly tannic as Cabernet Sauvignon or as fleshy as Merlot – sitting somewhere in between in terms of structure. Flavors are typically spicy with an underlying savory soy and herbaceous note with dark plummy-blackberry fruit.”
Boston Magazine
“But it’s not entirely like merlot. Or cabernet. It’s something in between. While Carménère has great depth of deep purple color, a jammy-fruity-berry aroma, and soft tannins—just like merlot—it also seems to have more complexity and earthiness, like cabernet. ”
Tim Atkin, The Guardian
“If you taste the wine and it combines high alcohol with notes of chocolate and green pepper, often with violets on the nose, plummy fruit and a deep colour, then you’re in Carménère country. Encouragingly, the best producers have toned down the new oak to emphasise the grape’s unique flavours.”

Some Carménère to Try

For a Splurge

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