Behind the Cork™ - TerraNoble Gran Reserve Carmenere

2018 TerraNoble Gran Reserva Carménère, ($18)

The TerraNoble winery was founded in 1993, and has produced high quality wines that have been recognized and awarded. The winery is located in the Maule Valley of Chile and the vineyards are in the Maule, Colchagua and Casablanca valleys. Their philosophy is to produce elegant, noble and pleasant drinking wines, with fruit-bearing flavors and aromas that maintain the characteristics of each variety.

This Gran Reserva Carménère, (kar-men-nair) is produced from 100% Carménère grapes that were placed in stainless steel tanks for a cold maceration of 4 to 5 days. Fermentation took place for between 8 and 12 days. After that, the wine had a post-fermentation maceration of one to two weeks, depending on each lot
and on daily tastings. Once the vatting process was finished, it was racked directly into French oak barrels and foudre where it underwent malolactic fermentation. It was then aged for up to 12 months with 70% of the wine being aged in previously used (2 or 3 times) French oak barrels and 30% in un-toasted foudre for 12 months. It was then bottle aged for at least six months before being released.

This wine is deep ruby in color with medium aromas of plum and black berry with peppery notes. On the palate this full-bodied wine has good flavors of black cherry and black plum with peppercorn. It is medium in tannin and medium in acidity and exhibits just a hint of oak.

This TerraNoble Gran Reserva Carménère is a really nice wine at a terrific price. Keep an eye out for this one as well as their Cabernet Sauvignon that was featured earlier this year. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by TerraNoble Winery (via Creative Palate)

Behind the Cork™ - Veramonte Carménère Reserva

2018 Veramonte Carménère Organic Reserva ($11.99)

This organic Carménère Reserva from Veramonte is produced from 100% Carménère (kar-men-nair) from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.

The Carménère grapes are cold macerated for five days in open-top stainless steel tanks and then fermented with native yeasts. Following primary fermentation, the wine is macerated with its skin for another ten days to achieve greater smoothness and intensity of flavor. The wine is then aged in neutral French oak barrels for eight months.

The wine is medium purple in color, with subtle hints of black cherry on the nose. On the palate is has flavors of dark stone fruits and blackberry, medium-low tannin, hints of vanilla from the oak aging and an easy finish.

This organic Carménère from Veramonte is a great fit as a Behind the Cork™ wine because it’s very affordable and attainable. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Rebekah Polster, Donna White Communications

Ever Consider a Wine from Chile?

If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, you really should check out the highly-acclaimed wines coming from Chile. And, they're great values too.

Spanish missionaries began planting grapes in Chile in the 1500's to make sacramental wine and, by the 1800's, French varietals began being imported. But it wasn't until the 1980's that Chile began achieving international recognition for its wines.  At that time only about 2% of Chile's wines were exported but by 2010 that had grown to 70% with sales of $1.5 billion.

Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines and the ninth largest producer of wine in the world. With six regions, the Maipo Valley and Colchagua Valley are its two most renowned, but other notables include the Colchagua region, having sub-regions of Los Lingues and Apalta, the Casablanca Valley and Valle de Leyda.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted grape in Chile but Carménère, a grape indigenous to Bordeaux France, is the country's signature grape.  Nearly three-quarters of the world's Carménère is grown in Chile. This medium-bodied red wine has big fruit flavors of plum, blackberry, raspberry and for a bit of a twist, green bell pepper. This grape was originally planted in Chile in the 1800's and thought to be Merlot. It wasn't until 1994 that modern DNA methods reviled its true identity. A bit lucky for the Carménère grape, because it is estimated there are less than 20 acres of these grapes remaining in France.

Look for wines of Chile to be featured in upcoming Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week postings. Until then, Cheers!