Carménère
Long thought lost, carménère is a Bordeaux grape variety that phylloxera had almost wiped off the map in the 19th century. Rediscovered by chance in Chile in 1991, it became the country's signature grape, while making a tentative comeback in the Libournais.
The aromatic profile
Carménère produces a deeply coloured, rich wine capable of ageing, easily mistaken for the merlot it closely resembles. Blended with other varieties, it brings brightness, roundness and character; vinified alone, it reveals a dense character built on ripe black fruit.
History and terroir
Native to Bordeaux, carménère belongs to the "carmenet" family, along with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and sauvignon. Genetic analysis carried out in 2009 showed it results from an ancient crossing between gros cabernet and cabernet franc. The 19th-century phylloxera crisis wiped out its Bordeaux plots; replanted on rootstock, it lost yield and became highly susceptible to coulure (poor fruit set), and was gradually abandoned. In 1991, French oenologist Claude Valat identified, at the Carmen estate in Chile, a vine different from the surrounding merlot plants: DNA analysis confirmed it was carménère, believed extinct.
At the table and around the world
Carménère is today Chile's emblematic variety, only distinguished from merlot there in the 1990s. It is also found in Argentina, California and northern Italy, notably Trentino. In France, new plantings have reappeared since the 1990s in the Libournais vineyards and on a few estates in the Médoc, such as Château Brane-Cantenac or Clerc Milon, where it pairs remarkably with merlot and cabernet-sauvignon.
Key facts
Where to taste Carménère?
This variety is part of the blend in these appellations:
Bouteilles de Carménère en vente
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