De Martino Alto de Piedras Carmenere 2014

Professional Ratings

• 94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  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.

• 91 Wine Spectator

  Ripe, powerful and pure-tasting, with some smoky notes to the dried dark fruit and mulled spiced flavors. Finishes with mocha and dried herbal accents.

• 90 Wine Enthusiast

  A decade old, this wine preserves its fruit character that shows clearly on the nose and palate. There is a rich note of oak spices balanced by subtle flavors of prune, dried cherry and bell pepper that linger through the mediumlong finish.