LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: May 21

Santa Maria 2011 Medalla Real Gran Reserva Carmenère (Colchagua Valley, Chile)

Sale $16.90, Regular $17.90
Discount (until May 24): $1.00
LCBO # 392720 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Luscious black and blue berries and a hint of spice and chocolate.
Pairs with: Grilled white and red meats and vegetables, rich risotto, soft cheeses.
Good for: Impressing a dinner party with something that feels exotic.
Alcohol: 14%
Drink: Now to 2016.

Why we're drinking this
Good, ripe and complex Carmenère can be hard to find. Chile does it well, though, funnily enough, for many decades they thought it was Merlot. Since the late 1990s, they figured out the difference, and began to bottle pure Carmenère. It does have some Merlot qualities: soft and voluptuous texture, ripe blue berries, easy tannins. As Carmenère is becoming Chile’s signature grape, you’ll likely be seeing more and more of it. This wine is a very good example.

Tasting note
Such pretty black and blue fruit. If you like blackberries and blueberries—and who doesn’t?—right up in your nose, this is your wine. It’s almost too inviting on the nose, so pretty and perfumed. It’s generously fruity, with a little snippet of sweet spice (cinnamon, clove). On the palate, more of the same seductive fruit-spice interplay and some cherry. There’s not a lot of acid here, but for now it’s nicely balanced. Don’t keep it for long, though. It won’t last much past a couple of years. But right now, this is the bottle for your daily table. Truly, a wonderful wine for drinking this summer.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder