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Favored for its high yields, carignan was once the most popular grape variety in France, especially in the vineyards of Languedoc-Roussillon, where it worked well as jug or table wine. It fell out of favor in the 1980s and plantation plummeted as wineries pulled up their vines. It is a late-ripening variety, producing wines that are high in grainy tannin and acidity, with a bit too much ‘rusticity’ to be a premium fine wine in its own right. Today, very few regions in the world are able to make world-class wines dominant in this grape, but Chile’s Maule Valley is one of them.

Maule Valley is now unquestionably the epicenter of New world carignan. The warm, dry region holds just over 700 hectares of carignan vines (more than 80 percent of Chile’s carignan plantation) and much of it goes to VIGNO (Vignadores de Carignan), a movement started in 2010 that brought together 12 founder producers to safeguard the bush-trained old vines, a heritage of the country. Under the VIGNO label, wines must contain at least 85 percent carignan, whose fruit is sourced from vines over 30 years old, and they must be dry farmed.

This year in our tasting in Santiago, we were stunned by the high quality of Chilean carignans despite the heat and raging fire in 2017 and resulting smoke taint at some wineries. Top old-vine carignans from Maule (most notably Cauquenes) can showcase pristine cherry-fruit concentration and richness without being sweet or extracted. At its best, the dusty red fruit core is complemented with seductive roasted spices, all woven into a vibrant palate epitomized by bright acidity, succulent fruit and firm yet polished tannin. A touch of austerity gives the wine another dimension that sets it apart from any other red wines produced from Chile.

James is a big fan of carignan as he bottled some in Mexico about 10 years ago. And I am equally impressed. Chilean carignans are really exciting.

There are currently 17 VIGNO producers and the quality is very high across the board. Even though these wines are not widely distributed, their efforts showed vision on diversity and commitment to quality. We’d like to refresh your perception on carignan starting with the following eight wines. Some are not yet in the market under the VIGNO label, as it requires a minimum of 24 months aging in the bottle or other containers before release. I sincerely hope you appreciate and enjoy these rare and racy wines as much as I do.

8 Chilean carignans for under $40 

Undurraga Valle de Maule Vigno Old Vines Dry-Farmed 2016 – JS95
(Average Price: $19)

P. S.GarciaCarignan Valle de Maule Vigno Old Vines Dry Farmed 2015 – JS95
(Average Price: $32)

Lapostolle Carignan Valle de Maule Vigno Empedrado Old Vines Dry-Farmed 2016 – JS95
(Average Price : $30)

Gillmore Carignan Valle de Maule Vigno Old Vines Dry Farmed 2014 – JS94
(US Average Price: $40)

Morandé Valle de Maule Vigno Old Vines Dry-Farmed 2016 – JS94
(Average Price: $20)

Santa Ema Carignan Valle de Maule Amplus Old Vine 2017 – JS93
(Average Price: $19)

Emiliana Carignan Valle de Maule Vigno 2017 – JS93
(Average Price: $21 (Previous vintages)) 

Garage Wine & Co Carignan Valle de Maule Vigno 2015 – JS93
(US Average Price : $36) 

– Zekun Shuai, associate editor in Beijing

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