November 24th—Thanksgiving Day—is also International Carménère Day. Created in 2014, this festival originally celebrated the 20th anniversary of a grape that was ‘lost,’ then rediscovered.
Most likely known as ‘Biturica’ by Romans, Carménère was a staple Bordeaux wine grape until the phylloxera epidemic wiped out most French vines beginning in the 1860's. When wine production ramped up again decades later, many wine growers avoided Carménère, partly due to its susceptibility to mildew rot. Today the grape does well in Chile in South America, basking in a climate similar to portions of the Mediterranean: cool nights with hot—though not scorching—days. Yet for more than a century Chilean Carménère grapes were mistakenly identified as Merlot. In 1994, detective work originated by curious winegrowers established their genetic identity.
Field recognition of this once noble grape came slowly. Eight years ago, at a banquet in Durham in the U.K., I was given a glass of what the bottle identified as ‘Merlot.’ The robust and peppery taste was unmistakably that of Carménère—the ‘lost grape of Bordeaux.’ This labeling error highlighted how pickers and shippers were still misidentifying the grape, whether purposefully or not. That same year Wine Spectator Magazine voted the 2005 Clos Apalta wine from Chile's Casa Lapostolle as wine of the year. Recognition of this blend of Carménère, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot marked the grape's potential for excellence. When we met in Chile that same year, winemaker Andrea Leon explained how French owner Alexandra Marnier-Lapostolle had worked with winemaker Michel Friou and consultant Michel Rolland to highlight what has become Chile's signature grape. “They saw that they could make something unique with old Carménère grapes to give a Chilean fingerprint from the land,” she said.
Carménère remains one of six grapes allowed in red blends in Bordeaux. Yet it is used sparingly. The Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux appellation—a neighbor of Saint Émilion—includes mouth-puckering wines produced from soils over a subsurface of clay and limestone. Winemakers who have tamed the characteristic local tannins include Hélène Thibaut, a professor of viticulture and enology, and her partner Jean-Frédéric Lapeyronie of Château Lapeyronie. In addition to their regular output, they produce one barrel per year (depending on weather conditions) of 100% Carménère wine. Hélène explained difficulties with this grape.
“It’s difficult to cultivate. The first buds are not very fruitful and the grape clusters are small. It’s a challenge to have normal, consistent production.”
Their well-balanced wine (13.7% alcohol) has as much fruit as spice and lacks the almost histrionic peppery punch of classic Carménère. This is a darling to open with meat and will not bowl you over with the shout of fruit, or din of polyphenols.
November has other ‘international wine grape days’ that include Merlot (November 7th), Tempranillo (12th), Beaujolais (17th) and the U.S. day for Zinfandel (16th). The timing is ideal. The harvest is over (in the northern hemisphere), grape juice is fermenting, Halloween will have passed and the scramble for December’s holiday preparations has not yet hit top gear. Whether on the designated celebration day or not, this is a good time to sample Carménère—perhaps heated with a few cloves added—in preparation for the season's oncoming chill. Poultry, stuffing and cranberry sauce are all optional.
