Carmenère more than ‘jam in the sandwich’

Carmenère is a noble grape that deserves to be put on a pedestal rather than used like “the jam in a sandwich” according to one of Chile’s key winemakers.

Ignacio Recabarren

Speaking to the drinks business during a recent visit to Chile, Ignacio Recabarren, winemaker at Concha y Toro, said: “I’m keen to go back to the days when Carmenère played an important role in pre-phylloxera Bordeaux blends.

“It used to bring wonderful character to the wines – notes of violets, black cherry, herbs and crunchy fruit.

No one is really getting behind Carmenère and putting it on a pedestal. At the moment it’s just used as the jam in the sandwich rather than as a solo act.

Other people are treating it as if it were Merlot but it’s completely different. Carmenère has great dignity – it’s very honest and enjoyable, and I’m keen for consumers to know that.”

Like his colleague Marcelo Papa, Recabarren is altering his approach to growing Carmenère, moving away from a highly concentrated style in search of freshness, which he is achieving by picking earlier.

“It’s been a struggle, but Chilean consumers are slowly coming round to Carmenère and actually prefer it to Cabernet Sauvignon nowadays,” he said.

However, he doesn’t think promoting the grape as a flagship for Chile is the right way forward.

“It’s important for Chile to have its own identity as a winemaking country, but I don’t think Carmenère should be treated in the same way Malbec is in Argentina.

“It produces wines of tremendous colour and softer tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon, but you can’t escape its DNA. If you plant Carmenère in the wrong areas then you will get green notes,” he said.

Recabarren singles out Peumo as having the best terroir in Chile for Carmenère, name-checking Clos Apalta and Errazuriz as producers making fine examples.

“When well made, Carmenère ages better than Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile,” he said.

Concha y Toro makes a number of Carmenères, including Marques de Casa Concha Carmenère, Terrunyo and the jewel in the crown, Carmín de Peumo.

Made at Concha’s Peumo old vine vineyard in the Cachapoal Valley, the wine is made from grapes grown on alluvial clay-loam soils.

Blended with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Carmín de Peumo spends 17 months in French oak barrels.