*Dislcaimer: I received this wine as a sample from the pr folks for Wines of Chile
After WBW #52, I decided I really liked wines made with the Carmenere grape. My opinion of the grape rose even higher on tasting the Estampa Gold a couple weeks ago, that has been my favorite Carmenere yet! Tonight I chose the 2007 Terra Andina Altos, a Carmenere-Carignan blend from the Central Valley of Chile. It had a real cork closure and retails for about $16.
I first noted the incredibly dark color of the wine, I would describe it as deep violet. On the nose I found black currants, plums, spice, cinnamon, mint, and eucalyptus. So far my observations about the various Chilean red wines is that they have really interesting noses. In the mouth I got flavors of plums, blackberries, mint, currants, licorice, and other dark fruit. At first, I found the wine to be a bit thin and bitter with tannins to spare. As it warmed and sat in my glass over the evening, the fruit tasted fuller and the while the bitter note remained, I found it enticing rather than off-putting. So I’d say this one needs some time in the bottle or vigorous decanting!
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