Carmenere Reserva 2023

Name: Bodega Santa Ema - Carmenere Reserva - 2023
Brand: Bodega Santa Ema
Price: 12.8 EUR
Availability: InStock

Bodega Santa Ema

12,80 €

A velvety, spicy Chilean Carménère full of black fruit, matured in tank to keep its brightness.

Chile

Red

13%

1 to 5 years

100% Carménère

750ml

Delivery within 72 h in France, carefully packed

France: €9.90 for 1 to 2 bottles, €14.90 for 3 to 11, €19.90 for 12 or more. Rates by country

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Let's talk little, let's talk wine

This Carménère comes from selected vineyards throughout Chile's Central Valley, between the Andes and the Coastal Range, two mountain chains that directly influence the character of the grapes. The climate is temperate Mediterranean, with cold winters and hot, dry summers, ideal for ripening this grape variety of Bordeaux origin that has become Chile's emblem. Santa Ema, based in Isla de Maipo, offers here a generous and approachable expression.

The 2023 vintage, after a rainy winter and a hot December, saw a harvest spread from early February to late April. The grapes are crushed and then fermented in stainless-steel tanks for seven days at around 26 °C. Malolactic fermentation follows the alcoholic fermentation, then the wine matures for six months in stainless-steel tanks before blending. It is then fined, filtered and bottled so as to retain all its freshness and fruity expression.

This wine reveals notes of blackberry, blueberry, black plum, blackcurrant, black pepper, roasted red pepper, tobacco and cocoa. The nose blends very ripe black fruit with the spicy touches typical of Carménère, extended by a smoky nuance. The palate is supple and velvety, supported by soft tannins and moderate, pleasant acidity. The fruity, slightly peppery finish remains balanced and indulgent.

Where are we traveling?

Maipo Valley

It is located at the gates of Santiago, the Chilean capital, stretching from the southern suburbs of the city to the foothills of the Andes to the east and the coastal range to the west. The vineyard is divided into three distinct zones — Alto Maipo at altitude at the foot of the Andes, Maipo Central on the alluvial plains, and Maipo Costa open to Pacific influences — forming a gradient of remarkably diverse terroirs over barely 100 kilometers. Its viticultural history dates back to the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors planted the first vines, but it was in the mid-19th century that Maipo took off, when great Chilean families — the Concha y Toro, the Cousiño, the Errázuriz — brought Bordeaux vines and French oenologists to establish the estates that would forge the country's viticultural reputation. Chile's geographical isolation, protected by the Andes, the Pacific, and the Atacama Desert, spared the vineyards from phylloxera, and Maipo today preserves some of the New World's oldest ungrafted vines. The climate is semi-arid Mediterranean, hot and sunny in summer, cooled by cold winds descending from the Andes each evening and by morning mists from the ocean, offering ideal thermal amplitudes for slow and steady maturation. The soils range from stony alluvial deposits carried from the Andes to the calcareous clays of the lower sectors, as well as the granitic and volcanic rocks of Alto Maipo. Maipo Valley has established itself as the cradle and absolute benchmark of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, producing powerful, structured wines with an elegance that rivals the best Bordeaux, complemented by silky and spicy Carménère — a Bordeaux grape variety that disappeared in France and was rediscovered here — deep Syrahs, and ambitious blends that have placed Chile on the map of the world's greatest wines.

The little history of the country

Chile

It was Hernán Cortés who ordered the cultivation of vines upon the conquest of Mexico in 1524. It gradually spread from Mexico southward, reaching Chile in 1555. During the first three centuries of colonization, only país, a characterless and very productive black grape variety, was cultivated in Chile. It was not until the mid-19th century that noble varieties were introduced: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, mainly. Twenty years later, winemaking was modernized under the impetus of wealthy landowners and French experts who had been forced out of work by phylloxera in Europe. Chile stretches 4,300 kilometers from north to south. It is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and the Patagonian plains and glaciers to the south. These natural barriers prevented phylloxera from entering the country. Although the country is only 160 kilometers wide, it enjoys ideal conditions for growing grape varieties from warm, intermediate, and cool regions, so much so that it is often described as a vineyard paradise. With nearly 300 estates producing bottled wines, Chile ranks between 6th and 8th in the world.

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