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Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 6 bottles and save 5%. Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
2023 Carmenere, Cousino Macul Wine Republic

2023 Carmenere, Cousino Macul

Maipo Valley, Chile

Ripe plum, crushed strawberries and blackberry lead the way, followed by cracked pepper, dried herbs, cinnamon and a subtle touch of leather. Generous and inviting, it has Carmenère’s distinctive savoury edge running through the fruit, bringing freshness and personality.

Medium-bodied and immediately drinkable, the palate combines juicy red fruit with bright acidity, soft tannins and a gently peppery finish. There is enough structure for the dinner table without any unnecessary weight, making this a versatile, great-value introduction to Chile’s signature red grape.

For when: A comforting supper calls for something warm, generous and unfussy.

Pairs with: Grilled pork, chicken with roasted peppers, mushroom risotto, beef empanadas or mature cheddar.

Carménère has become one of Chile’s defining grapes, prized for its combination of ripe fruit, supple texture and savoury herbal spice. In the Maipo Valley, the variety benefits from abundant sunshine and the cooling influence of the nearby Andes, producing reds with generosity, freshness and an unmistakably Chilean character.

Whats in the bottle
100% Carmenere

£13.95 - £13.95
£13.95
£13.95 - £13.95
£13.95
Availability:
In stock

Founded in 1856, Cousiño-Macul is the only 19th-century winery in Chile that remains in the hands of the original founding family. All Cousiño-Macul reserve wines are estate-grown, vinted and bottled. After seven generations and over 150 years, Cousiño-Macul’s mission rings clear — to produce world-class wines that are unmistakably Chilean, carrying the distinctive character of the Maipo Valley.

In 1994, the capital city of Santiago had expanded to the point of completely surrounding the original Macul estate in the southeast of the city, so the search for an additional single estate vineyard location began. In May 1996, the Cousiño family bought 750 acres of land in Buin, an agriculturally rich subregion of the Maipo Valley, about 20 miles southeast of Santiago. The Buin estate met the Cousiños’ ambitious criteria of soil composition, climate and proximity to the Andes Mountains.

All Cousiño-Macul wines are made entirely with grapes sourced from its two estates located in the Maipo Valley. Both the Macul estate in the southeast of Santiago and the estate in Buin are part of the subregion known as Alto Maipo. The Alto Maipo is appropriately named due to its high altitude orientation at the foot of the Andes Mountains. As the snow melts in the spring and summer, the Andes provide an ample source of pure, fresh water for vineyard irrigation. The soil is especially suited for the production of high-quality grapes: shallow, sandy-silky topsoil with rough stone below. All vines are planted on original root systems. Vines for new plantations come from massal selections carried out in the nurseries at Macul over a period of 10 years. This selection has allowed the preservation of genetic material of great value, originally brought to Chile by Luis Cousiño in 1860, including Cabernet and Merlot varieties from Pauillac in Haut-Medoc, and Sauvignon Gris from Martillac in Graves.

Made from 100% Carménère, the grapes undergo a short cold maceration in stainless-steel tanks for two to five days at approximately 8°C. Fermentation lasts around six days using selected yeasts, with temperatures maintained between 26°C and 27°C.

The wine is then transferred to another tank for malolactic fermentation before clarification, stabilisation, filtration and bottling. This fruit-focused approach preserves Carménère’s ripe berry flavours, peppery spice and supple texture without introducing overt oak character. Alcohol is 13.5%.

Grape
Carmenere

Alcohol by Volume
13.5%

Vintage
2023

Country
Chile

Size
750ml

Types
Red Wine

Producer
Cousino Macul

Region
Maipo Valley