Deep purple colored with medium viscosity legs (13.5% ABV) and slight staining.  The nose is gamy, peppery and loaded with black fruit- dark plums, blackberry.  Cinnamon, charred oak and more game by way of smoked bacon.  The palate is dry with tingly tannins that are medium intensity to go along with medium acidity.  This wine has a medium body and the black fruit coupled with smoke and game makes for a delicious if not unique flavor profile.  I really like it and think it’s a good expression of the Carignan varietal coupled with a Chilean twist of terroir and winemaking.  91 points from me and at $18- well worth the effort to try this 5 star wine.  Drink till 2028.   Salut….

Primarily Carignan this Chilean red also has 8% Syrah and a splash of Chardonnay- yes, you read that right.  Whilst not very common, adding a white grape with red has been practiced for centuries, especially in the Northern Rhone Valley.  This one is a medium shade of ruby with pretty thick legs.  On the nose I get waves of red cherry, black cherry, sweet oak, floral notes, vanilla, baking spice, blackberry and some bramble.  Quite complex I must say.  The palate is dry with nicely integrated tannins that are present but not overpowering.  Medium acidity, medium body and a decently long finish wrap up the rather pronounced flavors of red and sour cherries, violets, blackberry, vanilla and baking spice.  I don’t get as much oak nuance on the palate as I got on the nose.  The finish is quite tart and juicy with the tannins starting to grip a bit more.  This reminds me of a youngish Sangiovese- lots of sour cherry, good acidity and back-end tartness.  I like this wine and would serve it with pasta and steaks.  It’s a decent wine for $23, like 91 points worthy which makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2027.  Salut….