At the Drink Chile 2022 event held last November in Toronto I tasted the Perez Cruz Limited Edition Carmenère and it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps Chilean red wines had turned the corner and escaped their minty characteristics of a decade ago. That was one reason I took a Chilean red wine hiatus for a decade but the Drink Chile event caused me to rethink my rather dated thoughts about Chilean red wine. Subsequent tastings have verified, at least for me, Chile and red wines seem to be meant for each other at least with the limited tastings I have done.
So can the positivity continue with a 2020 Perez Cruz Carmenère Limited Edition from the Maipo Valley?
Aromatics: Yet more of that Chilean raspberry and cherry encountered! Rich plum and blackberry with a hint of milk chocolate.
Palate: Full bodied yet smooth despite its firmness. Raspberry, blackberry, Greek fig and black cherry with a long finish with some tat tat tat of pepper.
Personality: Chatting and cheerful on the palate and on the nose but I become very serious afterwards but not overbearing.
Food match: Cornish hen and roast potatoes.
Cellaring: Drinking beautifully now. It should improve over the next two to three years and will coast into 2028.
In a nutshell: The wine is approachable and inviting supporting my conjecture that raspberry and cherry just may be a characteristic of Chilean reds. A high quality Chilean red wine at a very reasonable price. So says this Carmenère convert!
Price: $19.95 (Ontario)
RKS 2023 Wine Rating: 94/100. Patricio Tapia 93/100.
(Perez Cruz 2020 Limited Edition Carmenère, D.O. Maipo Andes, Pérez Cruz LTDA, Huelquén-Paine. Chile, 750 mL, 14%, Liquor Control Board of Ontario #670539)
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