Carmenere Gran Reserva
The vintage
Cromas Carmenère Gran Reserva is an evolution of the Carmenère Grande Réserve. The Los Vascos Cromas name inspired us with the colours of nature that reflect the terroir and the Los Vascos teams’ expertise.
With this new change, the drier-than-usual start to the season required early irrigation and meticulous monitoring of the vineyard. The major challenge for the 2019 vintage essentially resulted from the extremely high temperatures at the end of January and beginning of February (reaching 40.6°C). Fortunately, the much cooler nights, with a record low of 10.2°C, allowed high-quality grapes to be obtained with excellent ripeness and balance.
The harvests began on 15 April and ended on 7 May.
Location
Stretching from the Coastal range to the foothills of the Andes mountains, Colchagua’s Mediterranean climate and privileged terroirs have made it a place of choice to produce quality wines in Chile. Los Vascos estate lies at the foothills of the coastal range, 200km South West of Santiago, in the cooler part of Colchagua where the vines benefit from the natural cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean.
Terroir
To render the best expression of Chile’s emblematic varietal, the vines have been planted on the mountain foothills, where the warm granitic soils and privileged exposure offer optimal ripening conditions.
Winemaking
This Carmenère is made with the same care as our Bordeaux Grands Crus. Grapes are carefully picked by hand when reaching phenolic ripenes. After thorough sorting and desteming, grapes are placed in stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Regular pump over ensure a gentle extraction of the tannins. After malolactic fermentation, 50% of the wine is transfered into French oak barrels for a period of 12 months.
Tasting
Intense colour tinged with purple.
On the nose, the wine reveals fruit aromas such as blackberry, plum and black cherry that gradually evolve with notes of white pepper and herbaceous notes characteristic of this grape variety. On the palate, the tannins are soft, silky with a pleasant balance between density and acidity.
Alcohol content
14.5
Grapes
Carménère
: 100 %