Casanel Carmenere

The Romans most likely called it "biturica," but the French called it "Carmenere." It was one of the six noble grapes,  contributing flavors of dark berries and spice to the famous wine blends from Bordeaux. That was until 1867, when phylloxera wiped out most of the Carmenere vines.

After that devastation, Carmenere receded into history, as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec emerged as the predominant Bordeaux grapes for wine-making throughout the region. Carmenere's susceptibility to pests, as well as other difficulties (such as small grape clusters and inconsistent grape production) led winemakers to cultivate and rely upon the other varietals.

Yet, more than ten (10) years before the Carmenere disaster in France, another story began to be told. The story emerged nearly seven thousand (7,000) miles away from the Bordeaux vineyards ... in the valleys of Chile.

Chilean growers had brought Carmenere vines to their country in an effort to produce wines locally. The climate in Chile is well suited for Carmenere vines, which began to thrive. However, despite its resurgence, the Carmenere grapes were mistakenly referred to as Merlot grapes. It was not until the 1990s - more than 140 years later - that experts were able to reveal the grape's true identity. 

Since that time, Carmenere has emerged elsewhere around the world. One such place is within the Middleberg AVA (American Viticultural Area), where Casanel Vineyards & Winery produces an estate Carmenere. (In fact, Casanel is the first vineyard to successfully grow Carmenere on the east coast of the United States.)

My beautiful Angel and I visited the winery a while back, where I had a chance to try the Carmenere. I liked the wine so much that I decided to buy a bottle to take home.  

The Carmenere pours a crimson red or dark raspberry. The aromatic elements are more fruit forward than I expected. People often associate raspberries, plums and other dark fruit with a Carmenere and I think that provides an apt description of this wine's aroma.  I had thought that I would find some earthiness or pepper in the aroma, because one of the quintessential elements of a traditional Carmenere wine is spice or pepper.

That black pepper or green pepper element was not very pronounced in this wine. The more forward elements consisted of the dark fruit, such as those raspberries and plums. This is not a criticism, as some modern day Carmeneres have moved away from sharp peppercorn tastes of the classic wines. While I really liked this wine, I wish that I had experienced some more of the pepper notes, because that is one of the main reasons why I like Carmenere wines so much.

The wine is available from Casanel Vineyards, where it sells for about $55.00 a bottle. 

ENJOY!