Viu Manent Carmenere Gran Reserva

Viu Manent Carménère Gran Reserva

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • This wine comes from the winery’s “La Capilla” property.
  • With vines that average 22 years of age, this wine has a great grip that will stay very long in your palate.
  • Certified Vegan.

Varietal Composition: 100% Carménère

Elaboration: The grapes were destemmed and crushed into a tank for alcoholic fermentation at 75º F – 79º F with very gentle extraction to obtain a more elegant, friendly, and balanced wine. The new wine later underwent malolactic fermentation naturally, and most of the wine was aged in French oak barrels. The wine was lightly filtered prior to bottling. Oak: 74% of the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. The remaining 26% was aged on its fine lees in a concrete tank to contribute greater fruit and freshness to the final blend.

Tasting Notes:  This violet-colored wine presents a special nose with great character with red fruits and black pepper. The palate is ample and creamy with smooth tannins and a very rich texture.

PRESS

2015 – 90 Wine Advocate

2016 – 91 Descorchados

2017 – 89 Wine Advocate

2018 – 90 Wine Advocate

2020 – 90 James Suckling

2021 – 92+ Wine Advocate | 90 Wine Spectator | 90 Vinous

PRODUCER BACKGROUND

After working as a wine merchant alongside his father and brother since the 1930’s, Miguel Viu Manent made the decision to branch out on his own in 1965, purchasing a historic vineyard and winery in Chile’s Colchagua Valley.  The estate was and still is one of the most well-exposed sites in the region, and it included 150 hectares of pre-phylloxera massal selections from France.

This company provides us with wines we consider the best value wines in the country (see “Reserva line), forward/experimental options (see “Secreto” line), some of the most solid “under $20” varietal wines you’ll find anywhere in the world (see “Gran Reserva” line), site specific/terroir driven releases (see “Single Vineyard” wines), and most famously the iconic “Viu 1.”  Malbec is clearly the house specialty here – Viu Manent was the first Chilean winery to bottle, label, and market Malbec, and they’ve for years been Chile’s Malbec leaders both in terms of accolades and quantity produced.

After nearly 100 years this firm is still family owned and operated (a rarity in Chile, especially for a winery of this size), all farming is certified sustainable, and two of Chile’s top names consult with the winery on a permanent basis – Roberto Pizarro (vineyard management) and Paul Hobbs (winemaking).

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