Christian Lanz began making wine in 1850 under the name Carmen. He named the winery after his beloved wife, Carmen. Today, it is the oldest of the bodegas still active in Chilean winemaking. Initially, the company operated in the background, but truly began to grow after being acquired by the Claro family. They were able to invest heavily and now utilize state-of-the-art facilities.
In recent years, Carmenère has become Chile's national grape. In 1994, the grape variety was rediscovered in the Carmenère vineyards. It was initially mistaken for Merlot, as it was long thought to be extinct due to phylloxera. However, it soon became clear that this unique grape was indeed planted in Carmenère's Alta Maipo Valley vineyards. This grape produces wines with a unique character. As with the other wines in the Insigne series, a cold maceration is applied at four to five degrees Celsius. Fermentation on the skins also takes place at a relatively low temperature, around 25 degrees Celsius. This preserves Carmenère's fine fruit. Subsequently, some of the wine is aged in used oak barrels. This provides a beautiful finish to a wine that relies primarily on its delicious fruit.
The aroma of this Carmen Insigne Carmenere is pure and rich, with notes of jam and chocolate, ripe plums, a hint of pepper, and coffee. It's actually quite delicious, superb. The powerful palate is very elegant, with lovely fruity notes and a hint of pepper and cocoa completing the whole. The finish of this Carmen Insigne Carmenere is smooth and rounded.
