Viña Tarapaca, Valle del Maipo (Chile) Carmenère 2017

 Although Chilean Carmenère didn’t follow the wildly successful path of Argentinian Malbec, Tarapaca continues to fine tune its efforts.  One of the oldest Chilean wineries, Tarapaca enjoys a solid reputation for red wines from the Maipo Valley.  With short term bottle age, this Carmenère has settled down beautifully to offer rich fruit in a silky round mouth-filling package.  The ripe blackcurrant fruit mingles with the characteristic “Maipo mint” component that combines leafy and juniper berry notes.  With some spice and plenty of dark fruit flavors, there’s a lot going on here in this full-bodied, slightly tannic wine.  It finishes long on a light herbaceous note.