Apaltagua, Apalta Valley (Colchagua Valley, Chile) Carmenere 2009

This limited edition (7,200 bottles), high-end rendition of Carmenere shows very interesting, highly complex aromas as well as deep, authoritative flavors.  There’s plenty of oak in the mix, but not so much as to obscure the appealing dried herb and mint aromas or the dark, blackberry-tinged fruit.  Full-bodied but neither overly ripe nor over-extracted, this is impressive without turning bombastic, and offers a great example of just how good this emerging grape variety can be.