Gran Reserva Serie Riberas, Carmenere

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a carmenere from Concha y Toro under their Marques de Casa Concha brand that really hit the mark.

In that post I commented about my general avoidance of carmenere due to it often being disappointing. But now here I am a couple weeks later singing praises for another carmenere from Concha y Toro, this one released under their Gran Reserva Serie Riberas brand. This one is even a better value.

The Gran Reserva Serie Riberas is also known as the “riverbank series” in the Concha y Toro family. The grapes for these wines come from vineyards along the banks of the major rivers in Chile’s wine country. This one is from the Puemo vineyard in the Cachapoal Valley.

While the wine is labeled as carmenere, there is 10% cabernet sauvignon in it. The blending grapes vary from one vintage to the next as the winemakers tune the flavor profile of the final product. This one they tuned quite well.

There’s a dusty, earthy, spicy, chocolaty character to the nose of this wine. As weird as this may sound it smells velvety, that is to say there’s almost a soft, smooth texture to the aromatics. It smells luxurious. In addition to the spices, there are most definitely some fruit aromas too, such as plum, black cherry and blackberry. The wine is also luxurious on the palate, with a silky texture and loads of rich flavors such as blackberry, plum and chocolate. The acidity is nice and bright. The finish is long and rich.

Wine: Gran Reserva Serie Riberas, Carmenere
Varieties: 90% carmenere, 10% cabernet sauvignon
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 89
Price: $17.00
Disclosure: This wine was provided as a media sample.