Arboleda Carmenere, Aconcagua Valley (2022) 2022

Arboleda is the Aconcagua estate of Eduardo Chadwick, the man behind some of Chile's most celebrated wines and its 2004 Berlin Tasting triumph over Bordeaux. The name means "grove," after the native forest that surrounds the estate's sustainably farmed vineyards. This Carmenère comes from the Las Vertientes vineyard, one of the coolest red-wine sites in Aconcagua - planted on clay-rich piedmont soils and fanned by breezes off the cold Pacific. That coolness matters for Carmenère, a late-ripening grape that turns green and harsh if rushed; here it ripens slowly and fully, keeping its freshness. After fermentation in stainless steel and a long maceration, the wine spends fourteen months in French oak, a quarter of it new. The result plays to everything that makes Chilean Carmenère distinctive: blackberry and dark cherry fruit wrapped in black pepper, tea leaf, roasted red pepper and a touch of chocolate, with the grape's savoury, almost herbal character to the fore. Medium-bodied and silky, with soft tannins and a fresh, spiced finish. Serve at 16-18°C.