Underdog Grape · Chile

Carmenère

Carmenère is the Bordeaux grape France nearly lost and Chile spent a century growing by accident. If you like Merlot, this is the plusher, herb-streaked bottle you should be drinking instead.

Tasting profile
Soft dark plum and blackberry with a savory green-herb streak and a bell-pepper lift that keeps it from ever tasting flat.
Where it grows
Colchagua Valley, Chile
Where to buy
For specific bottles and where to buy them, read the deep dive.

Keep exploring

The region

Central Valley, Chile

Related underdogs

PaísAgiorgitikoAglianico
Read the deep diveCarmenère: Chile's Lost Bordeaux Grape

FREE DOWNLOAD

Get the Underdog Starter List

10 lesser-known bottles under $25 worth chasing — plus the weekly underdog read. No snobbery, just good wine.

Or peek at the list first →