Every now and then we come across something we weren’t expecting and that gets us intrigued. This is one of those cases. It’s a carignan from Chile.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find a carignan from Southern France, or even from a Paso Robles Rhone Ranger. But I wasn’t expecting to see one from Chile. And my first hunch when I saw it was that someone was experimenting in Chile, but this is more than an experiment, it comes from 60 year old vines! Yes, this wine has been in Chile for a while. And that’s a good thing because carignan from young vines can actually be a bit too astringent. And while this one has a little bit of astringency, it’s not unapproachable.
This wine has the kind of aromas on the nose that make me fall in love with a wine. It’s a beautifully balanced blend of fruit and spices. It opens up with cedar and nutmeg aromas, supported by cherry and black currant. There’s no subtlety to this wine. It’s in your face in a bold and confident way. The palate has a slight astringency, which as I said, is typical for carignan, but the flavors are quite nice. It has a deep, spiced black currant, blackberry and beet flavor, which evolves into cocoa on the mid-palate. The finish lingers for an extended time, showcasing the cocoa and currant flavors, along with some black tea notes. This wine will definitely show you something different from the everyday, in a good way.
If you’re an adventurer with your wine, I’d say this is definitely one to check out.
Wine: Meli
Variety: Carignan
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 86
Price: $15.00
Find Meli Carignan with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.