Carmen launches celebratory Carmenère

Viña Carmen has released a limited release varietal Carmenère to celebrate the rediscovery of the grape in its vineyards.

Called IIII Lustros, the wine is named after the four lustros, or 5-year periods, that have passed since the correct identification of this variety.

This Limited Edition Carmenère has been made by winemaker Sebastián Labbé using grapes from Carmen’s vineyards at the foot of the Andes Mountains in Alto Jahuel.

On 24 November, 1994, that French ampelographer Jean Michel Boursiquot identified Carmenère vines, previously thought to be Merlot, growing in Viña Carmen’s Alto Maipo vineyards.

To mark the two decade milestone, Viña Carmen has not only launched a new wine, but also held a series of tastings across Europe and North America this year, and invited Boursiquot to lead a seminar on Carmenère in Santiago on 27 November, which you can read more about here.