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Carmen Gran Reserva Merlot, 2020
750ml
$17.99
+CRV
Mix 6 for $16.19 each
*Price, vintage and availability may vary by store.
*Price, vintage and availability may vary by store.
Product Highlights
James Suckling-Maipo Valley, Chile - A Savory sweet-spice notes to the generous plums, red cherries and coffee on the nose. A medium-bodied merlot with fresh, crunchy red and black stone fruit in the middle. Easy to enjoy now.
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Product Details
OVERVIEW
Geography
Chilean wine production dates back more than 400 years. Spanish colonists, quick to recognize the terrain as ideal for viticulture, were the first to plant vines in the valleys that would come to define Chilean wine regions. They started with País, which would be the primary grape for Chilean wine for the next 300 years, until globetrotting Chileans, flush from the country’s agricultural and mining riches, brought home French vines to grow their favorite Bordeaux varieties.
Varietal / Type
Winemakers love Merlot grapes because they are easy to grow and quick to ripen. Casual wine drinkers appreciate that Merlot wines can be soft and approachable, with delicious dark fruit flavors. In Merlot blends, the grapes add a moderating influence, providing measured tannins, soft texture, medium acidity and medium alcohol. Accordingly, Merlot balances the more rustic and herbaceous qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon, a frequent blending partner.
Merlot can also make complex, full-bodied and concentrated wines with grippy tannins and aging potential. Many connoisseurs consider the best Merlot wine to come from Bordeaux’s Right Bank, where the varietal predominates in wines from St.-Émilion, Pomerol and other renowned appellations. Merlot is also blended to excellent effect with the other red Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.