Hot off the heels of last weeks South America comes a Carménère from Chile that could be a real representative of the hidden potential of this varietal.  While Carménère was for a long time consider to be lost, the finding of the grape has lead to cheap interesting wines that are good possible variants for those that like merlot.  2008 Cono Sur Carménère seeks to provide a sustainable experience for experiencing the lost varietal, but have they succeeded, or lost it in the process? 

Sight:  The wine is on the deeper red side of the spectrum, approaching a brownish brick, but remaining purple near the core.

Smell:  This wine has a distinct cran-raspberry smell, with a touch of jammy strawberries, some chocolate shavings, and hints of vanilla, cedar, tea, and dried tobacco.  It’s a rather deep nose for a wine of this age, and clearly has a lot of oak.

Sip:  There’s no real sweetness, but the texture is like velvet, moderately weighted, with a rather forward set of tannins.  There’s a lot of oak and smoke rolling around a strong cranberry – cherry flavor.  There’s almost an espresso like note in the background that twists around the tongue.

Savor:  The tannins relax, but the espresso rolls around the palate with a sort of mocha like note.  It last for some time getting increasingly like really good coffee with a side of dark chocolate.    It even gets a little bit gamey.

Overall,  2008 Cono Sur Carménère has a surprising amount of depth for a bottle in this price range.  There’s a lot of value in it’s complexity, but for those that like fruit, this wine will seem unbalanced toward the oak.   There’s something to be said for a well oaked wine, and good examples are seemingly becoming few and far between in the other $10 range.  Worth a pick up for anyone who loves a firmer style of wine with plenty of oak notes.

Verdict:  Puff The Magic Dragon
Price:  $8.99
Colchagua, Chile
http://www.conosur.com/en/