2008 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Carmenere. Brilliant!

I am currently enjoying a bottle of the 2008 Santa Carolina Reserva de Familia Chilean Carmenere. Enjoyment doesn't quite speak to how much I love this bottle of wine. I have had Carmeneres before but none have been so distinctive and expressive as this one.

The back label on the bottle reads, "Deep ruby red in colour with a violet tinge, this wine has intense, ripe red fruit aromas and hints of spice. The palate is also fruity; blackcurrant and blueberry are beautifully integrated with flavours from 12 monts of barrel-ageing such as vanilla, truffles and smoky notes. It's a concentrated and smooth wine with a long finish. Best served with red meats or pasta with seasoned sauces."

This is a very good description of this wine. What I would add to it though is the characteristic of carmeneres that shows in a subtle yet elegant way in this bottle and that is the presence of pepper. Most people believe carmeneres to show a strong amount of bell pepper scent and flavor. I usually believe that bell pepper in a wine typically indicates a wine that was vinified too early and the grapes weren't quite yet ripe. With Carmeneres though this is simply a unique characteristic of the grape. My favorite element of this wine though, as well as with the lower-tiered Carmenere in the Santa Carolina line, is the sense that it is not bell pepper in the wine at all but instead a pepper with more spice. I believe it to be some kind of chile pepper, either a Big Jim or an Anaheim. No heat of the chile but plenty of the flavor.

This wine will pair brilliantly with most any red meat and especially a Mexican dish like Carne Asada. I currently am enjoying this wine with a meat-heavy pizza and I could not be more satisfied. I will be surprised if I can muster the will power to not drink the entire bottle in one sitting. It really is that good.

This bottle retails near the 20 dollar range but the rest of the Santa Carolina line hovers in the 10-12 dollar range and truly does not lose quality with the price drop. I highly recommend this wine and has I haven't posted anything in months I think that should speak to how much this bottle has stood out to me.