Terranoble CA1 Andes Carménère – The CA1 is A-OK

100% Carménère from Colchagua Valley, Chile.

SRP of $30 and available for as low as $24. Sample received courtesy Winebow for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Grown in the warm Andes foothills of Colchagua Valley, CA1 is a Carménère of great character. This is a rich wine, with intense aromas of ripe red fruit. The round tannins, together with the soft texture and rich flavors on the palate reveals to us the best expression of Carménère grown at the foot of the Andes Mountains.

13.5% Alcohol”

Today’s wine, the CA1, is described as being from the “ultra-premium Carménère” line by Terranoble, which also includes a CA2 Carménère from the coastal region of Colchagua Valley (as opposed to the Andes Foothills where the CA1 originates). Both wines sees 12 months in oak in American and French barrels, which in the case of the CA1 is just about perfect.

In addition, we’ve long been fans of the under-appreciated Carménère grape here at The Reverse Wine Snob. In fact, you may remember our Tour of Chile series from a few months back where we went through a number of delicious wines. Based on that prior experience I was more than happy to break into today’s wine.

The 2008 Terranoble CA1 Andes Carménère begins with a really strong and enticing bouquet of blackberry, blueberry, violet and vanilla. The wine tastes rich and savory with good depth and has soft and smooth tannins. The flavors in the mouth are mostly same as the bouquet with the addition of some leather notes. A touch of spice on the finish gives way to rich fruit and a few lingering notes of coffee. This is a very tasty wine that is just as good if not better on day 2. In other words, the CA1 is A-OK for a Saturday Splurge!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.