Chile 14.5% Cork $35
Back when I was foolish enough to attempt a course on viticulture and winemaking in Queensland I quite fancied Carmenère as a variety. Now that I’m foolish enough to attempt to enter the world of wine writing whilst living in Brisbane, it’s rather nice to get a chance to come back to the grape.
The nose is quite transfixing; a mixture of dessicated cherries, hazelnuts, black pastilles, sauvage characters, dark tobacco (almost White Ox but not quite..), smoke and burnt coffee grounds with a hint of green capsicum. It’s jubey but fairly light in the mouth. I longed for a bit more stuffing through the mid-palate in particular, to alleviate a sense of reedy-ness. Dark chocolate notes came to the fore as the wine opened up.
Lots of interest here, just needs a little more conviction. Works very well with a plate of cured meats.
Importer- Southern Cross Wine Merchants