Lafken Carmenere 2018
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The 2018 Carménère is an intense and deep carmine color. On the nose, dark chocolate, graphite, and strawberries. The palate is structured and velvety with dry plums noted.
After graduating from The University of Burgundy, France, Miguel spent 10 years working on vineyards throughout France and Germany. In 2010, he returned to Chile with his family to pursue a life-long dream of producing his own wines- combining his European winemaking style with Chile’s new world terroir. At Lafken, they produce limited quantities of hand-crafted wines, with their families participating in the entire process. They strongly believe that winemaking must be clean and in harmony with the environment, and their commitment to quality is the trademark without which they simply wouldn't be making wine. The identity of their wines is a result of their premium grapes, the sustainable management of the vineyards, their hand harvesting at the optimal moment of grape maturity, and their personal winemaking – which takes place in a small garage, combining both traditional methods and modern technology.
Dark, full-bodied and herbaceous with a spicy kick, Carménère found great success with its move to Chile in the mid-19th century. However, the variety went a bit undercover until 1994 when many plantings previously thought to be Merlot, were profiled as Carménère. Somm Secret— Carménère is both a progeny and a great-grandchild of the similarly flavored Cabernet Franc.
The Maipo Valley is Chile’s most famous wine region. Set in the country’s Central Valley, it is warm and quite dry, often necessitating the use of irrigation. Alluvial soils predominate but are supplemented with loam and clay.
The climate in Maipo is best-suited for ripe, full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon (the region’s most widely planted grape), Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that has found a successful home in Chile.
White wines are also produced with great prosperity, especially near the cooler coast, include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.