The Tasting Panel magazine

Carmenère Is Viña Carmen THE VENERATED WINERY STILL LEADS THE CHILEAN WINE INDUSTRY by Randy Caparoso W hat wine professional isn't familiar with the wines of Viña Carmen? This celebrated winery was founded over Apalta soil results in wines with a focus on black and blue fruits, richer tex- tures, round rather than green tannins and virtually no green vegetal notes. 160 years ago (in 1850) in Chile's Alto Maipo Valley, just outside the huge, bustling, cos- mopolitan city of Santiago. Its offerings fulfi ll all the Chilean hallmarks: solid winemaker, consistent quality and, always, super value. But what many wine professionals may be unaware of is Carmen's leadership in a country that has certainly never lacked for wine industry leaders. During the past 20 years, for instance, Carmen has focused strongly on terroir, branching out from its historic plantings in the vicinity of Maipo to other sub-regions of the Valle Central to establish more ideal grape sources. They've gone to the cooler-climate Casablanca Valley to source richer yet more crisply balanced Chardonnays, and turned to even cooler sections of Ledya Valley to produce zestier, fresher Sauvignon Blancs. Viña Carmen was also among the fi rst of Chile's modern-day growers to venture into organic viticulture, under the Nativa label, fi rst established in 1995. Then there is Carmen's leading role in the story behind the Vitis vinifera grape variety that has, in many ways, come to symbolize the dramatic history and signature style of Chilean wines: Carmenère (also spelled Carménère outside Chile). There are some 20,000 acres of Carmenère planted in Chilean vineyards, mostly alongside or intertwined with roughly equal propor- tions of Merlot. In fact, up until 1998—when Carmenère was fi rst offi cially recognized by Chile's Department of Agriculture—virtually all of the Carmenère grown in Chile was bottled as Merlot. An honest mistake, as it turns out. But once this was sorted out, Viña Carmen produced Chile's fi rst varietal bottling of Carmenère, starting with the 1996 vintage. Unraveling the Story As in California—where both Melon and Chardonnay were once bottled as a "Pinots," Petite Sirah was confused with Syrah, Valdiquié was mistaken for a Gamay Noir and no one, for the longest time, had any real idea what Zinfandel was—the tale of Carmenère in Chile is an intriguing one: ◗ Carmenère originated in Bordeaux's Médoc region, and was one of six red wine grapes commonly planted there up until 1867, when phylloxera began to wreak seri- ous havoc. Because of Carmenère's susceptibility to coulure, or grape shatter, during the cold, damp springs typical for Bordeaux, virtually none of the vineyards in this vast region bothered to replant the grape when propagation on American rootstocks subsequently took place. ◗ Despite historical ties to Spain, mid-19th-century Chilean winemakers were inspired by Bordeaux more than any other European wine region, which is why Carmenère came to be planted extensively in Chile. However, neither Chilean nor French- born growers working in Chile recognized the

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