ERRAZURIZ | Max | Carmenere | Reserva | 2014
carmenère
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Tonight we are going to review a legendary wine from Chile – Max Carmenere Reserva 2014 by Errazuriz. This is a single varietal carmenère wine from Aconcagua, which is one of the main red wine producing regions of Chile. The winery itself was founded by Don Maximiano Errázuriz and its wines are now regarded among the world’s most noteworthy. In order to produce wines of an even higher quality, a new winery has been created, where cutting edge technologies has gone hand-in-hand with sustainability and environmental protection. Its main body is build underground and its spiral shape allows for the movement of fruits and liquids by means of gravity. To maintain adequate levels of temperature and illumination the building harnesses geothermal and solar energy, which are completely environment friendly. But enough theory, on to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Noble and deep garnet color with nuanced crimson hues towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with ripe black fruits flavours: blackcurrant, black plum, black cherry, blackberry, black mulberry, marionberry, black tea and dust. An instant later the nose is filled with noble notes of black pepper, nutmeg, anise, tobacco, red pepper, licorice, black soil and some nuanced hints of sun-dried oakwood.
Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and fine tannin. It tastes fruity, ripe and spicy, with a complex and quite extracted body. This is a very appealing, lean and elegant wine, as it feels crisp, noble and maybe just a bit too tart. The wine has a round body, not too bold yet it does not lacks complexity at all. The wine feels well balanced on the mouthfeel, with a fruity accent, while the tannins are present there, yet quite soft.
Aftertaste
It has a long finish and an balanced, tart and seedy aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine Wine of Chile and the overall rating says the same, with 91.5 points scored it is right there, among the best wines we’ve tasted so far. Please click on the chart icon on the left in order to get to the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines we’ve tasted to date.
Conclusion: this is a very fine carmenère wine that is yet on the rise, that’s why we would recommend 4 to 5 more years of bottle ageing, so that it will have enough time to closer to its prime. The wine comes from the famous ‘Don Maximiano’ vineyard, located in the Aconcagua Valley and it has been aged for 12 months in french oak barrels and, despite its youthfulness, it has a fine tannic grip on the mouthfeel, leading to a very appealing mid-palate, firming beautifully on the finish, where the nuanced fruity flavors glide alongside those subtle woody notes and gain more traction. We would recommend to pair this wine with spicy meaty dishes that are dressed in sweet wine reduction sauce, like for example a ribeye steaks or some roast beef tenderloin cuts. Enjoy!
WineStatistics tasting results:
ERRAZURIZ
Max | Carmenere | Reserva | 2014
grape: | carmenère |
overall rating: | 91.5 |
maturity: on the rise
conclusion: fine | highly recommended
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(c) The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. There are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.
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