My first red wine from Mar y Tierra is their Carmenére,
which is a nice grape that was for too long thought to be
Merlot down in South America. It is a very rich grape, and
can be worthy to stand amidst a good Pinot Noir as well as a
Cabernet Sauvignon.
This is probably the tenth one that I have tasted, and
while it isn't my favorite, it's actually a nice, dark
release. Weirdly enough, I tried this while reading The
Strain, a wonderful new vampire novel by Guillermo del
Toro, the man behind Pan's Labyrinth. I will also
say that I had it after two events: a nice private event by
Chaddsford Winery where I consumed at least four of their
delectable reds, and a Swing Out Sister concert, where I was
forced to drink a crappy Sauvignon Blanc.
While I am not going to go into how regally purple the
color of this wine is, I will just focus on it's flavor,
which is wonderfully smoke, slightly tannic (very smooth
tannins), and filled with a demure rendering of blackberries
and dark cherries. I would even admit that this has the
slightest hint of spice, like a very faint nutmeg or cardamom.
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