Today I am tasting the 2007 Single Vineyard Carmenere by Vina Errazuriz from the Don Maximiano Estate in the Aconcagua Valley of Chile. You can find some great notes on the harvesting and production of this 97% Carmenere and 3% Syrah based wine. This wine can generally be found for around $15.
Color
In the glass this wine shows excellent color of dark purple.
Aroma
The nose makes you immediately aware of the 12 months in new oak barrels that this wine was aged. It also exhibits a piney menthol note which might be some eucalyptus showing. There is good blackberry components along with a intriguing red beet aroma.
Flavor
On the attack the blackberry is dominant, followed up by sweet blueberries. The mid-palate exhibits cherry flavor with good tannins. The finish again shows some oak but also a bit too much alcohol. This wine is rated at 14.5% alcohol. The wine starts with a thick sweet nature and ends hot and dry. Quite a roller coaster on the palate. After breathing for a while, it starts to show some red fruit components such as strawberry on the mid-palate. Also of note is the length of the finish which is quite impressive. This is a big wine and will pair well with steak or blue cheese.
Rating
I enjoyed this wine, particularly after letting it open up some. It should age nicely. I rate it 89 points.
This wine has been reviewed by a lot of other bloggers and it is interesting to see what aromas and flavors they detected. How about you?
Here are some of those reviews for you to check out:
A Good Time With Wine
2 Days Per Bottle