Considered one of Chile’s most signature and significant red grapes, carmenere is a runaway from Bordeaux who found a new home in South America in the mid 19th Century. Chilean vignerons initially mixed it with merlot but after a ‘paternity test’ around 20 years ago it was proven the grape was in fact carmenere.

There is good reason for carmenere being less popular in France. As a late-ripening and vigorous cultivar susceptible to coulure, it can produce ungenerous yields while developing green, leafy aromas when underripe. After the devastating phylloxera in France in the mid-19th century, the plantation of carmenere in its home country has been tiny. Nowadays, only a very few quality producers include a tiny percent of carmenere in their blend, including Chateau Clerc Milon, an aspiring Pauillac 5th growth, which often adds one or two percent to its blend.

But Chile’s warmer, drier climate is far more suited to carmenere. This year, we sensed a much higher consistency for high-quality carmenere as mentioned in our recently published Chile report. The wines are more balanced, turning away from the style of a sweet fruit bomb, with some even being overtly sour-sweet on the palate.

When the yield is controlled, Chilean carmenere often shows honest and racy dark red fruit and notes like red pepper, black olives, dark chocolate, mint and dried tomato leaves. The best should deliver ripeness with some hints of leafy freshness, offering a plush, smooth and hedonistic allure on the palate that invites you to drink glass after glass.

Carmenere also shines across the board no matter the price. With a few worthwhile exceptions that cost you more than $80, like the Montes Purple Angel, Errazuriz KAI and Santa Carolina Herencia, most quality carmeneres fall into a comfortable price zone of $10-$40 a bottle. They represent quality, value and varietal typicity with a Chilean trademark. The great value list for carmenere could be extensive, but we’ll start with these eight dependable wines we want to highlight, most for under $15! Grab a few bottles for any occasion.