LOS VASCOS CARMENERE GRAN RESERVA

Tasting note

This is Carmenère taken seriously. From selected plots on the Los Vascos estate — Domaines Barons de Rothschild's (Lafite) long-held Chilean property in Colchagua — the 2021 Gran Reserva shows a level of definition that sets it apart from the variety's more rustic incarnations. The nose is composed and layered: crushed blackberry, dark plum, and black cherry, interwoven with white pepper, dried herbs, and a subtle graphite minerality that lends the wine genuine complexity. On the palate, the fruit is concentrated yet controlled, framed by finely grained tannins and a thread of freshness that keeps the 14.5% alcohol in elegant proportion. There is polish here without artifice — the structure is quiet but insistent, and the finish carries spice and dark fruit with notable persistence. This is a wine of restraint and pedigree rather than power, unmistakably shaped by a house that prizes balance above all. Approachable now with an hour's decanting; it will reward cellaring through 2028 and beyond.