De Martino Alto de Piedras Carmenere 2014

The top Carmenere at De Martino is the 2014 Single Vineyard Alto de Piedras, sourced from a plot planted on one of the stony alluvial terraces of the Maipo River which suits the variety to avoid green aromas and flavors in its wines. They want to offer a typical Carmenere with spice, tobacco leaves and red fruit notes, but without too much alcohol, over-ripeness or excess oak to try to cover the herbal tones. 2014 was a good year for Carmenere, with moderate yields. The vines were planted ungrafted in 1992 in their Isla de Maipo vineyards and are organically-farmed. The grapes were harvested quite early and fermented with native yeasts. The wine was kept in second use 5,000-liter oak foudres for 30 months. If you think about vodka and jalapeños when you hear the name Carmenere, you need to try this one, because it will change your perception of the grape. This is another dimension of Carmenere, trying to look for dry-farming characteristics in a zone that needs irrigation. They achieve complete ripeness of the grape avoiding the vegetal aromas and the high alcohol. This is subtle, austere, serious in a (good) Bordeaux way (think Lafleur) with hints of tobacco leaves and spices. There is superb balance in the palate, and it feels very young, with ultra refined chalky tannins and good freshness. This is the style of Carmenere I like, but it's very hard to get, and it's possibly unique in Chile. 13,041 bottles were filled in November 2016.