Bodegas El Grano Carmenere "El Grano"

French winemaker Denis Duveau brings us this Carmenere from the Rapel Valley in Chile, about 70 miles south of Santiago. Denis previously owned a family estate in the Loire Valley in France. He sold the vineyard in the mid-nineties and moved to Chile with his wife and children. There he started to make wine in collaboration with local growers. 

Ten years later, Denis moved back to France and placed his son, Gregoire, in charge of the winery. Gregoire now supervises all production while his father still returns each year for harvest and to participate in the winemaking process. 

The estate's vines average 20 years of age on limestone soil. Due to optimal weather, no chemicals are used on the soil. Grapes are hand-harvested and then fermented in stainless steel vats at controlled temperature. 50% of the wine is aged in oak barrels for 6 months.

This is a terroir-driven wine with real character, the nose expresses greenery in abundance: capsicum, green bean and mint pea and there is a satisfying highly digestible savoury bitterness in the mouth.