×
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.80 $42.00
The top-of-the-range 2020 Luz Carménère feels closed, serious and austere, even in a warm and dry year like 2020....
WA
94
JS
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.00
12 bottles: $17.10
The 2020 Carménère Massal 1945 from Almahue, Cachapoal, was made in used barrels and foudres for 12 months. Garnet...
WA
92
VM
92
Case only
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $62.40
12 FREE
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.19
12 bottles: $15.87
12 FREE
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $18.34
12 bottles: $17.42
A medium-to full-bodied carmenere with lots of dark, grilled cumin, black beans, olives and smoked meat. Dry and...
VM
91
JS
91
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.85
6 bottles: $16.51
A balanced, medium-bodied red, with light tannins and a subtle underpinning of fresh, loamy earth layered with...
WS
88
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $16.90 $18.00
Raspberry coulis and fresh soil with grass popping through on the nose turns to an almost cake-like raspberry and...
WE
91
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $19.93 $22.00
12 bottles: $17.48
As always, this Carmenère is intense red color with a violet hue. It offers numerous aromas of tremendous intensity....
Sale
Rapid Ship
Red
750ml
Bottle: $89.90 $94.80
A consistent Purple Angel that really delivers the carmenere’s plushness when ripened well. Dark olives,...
12 FREE
JS
98
VM
94
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $15.92 $17.49
12 bottles: $15.83
Displays a gravel-and-loam cast, with a core of herb-accented cherry and plum flavors, ending with fine,...
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $25.27 $28.08
6 bottles: $24.00
Well-balanced and appealing, this medium-bodied red features a core of ripe and baked black cherry fruit, with light...
WS
89
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $11.94 $13.00
Wine of intense violet color. It offers aromas of blackberries and plum with graphite and coal on a masculine nose....
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $22.57 $25.08
12 bottles: $18.24
Red fruit aromas, with cedar and bold notes. On the palate it is fresh and fruity with flavors of cherry and hints of...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
Red
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $71.05
A consistent Purple Angel that really delivers the carmenere’s plushness when ripened well. Dark olives,...
JS
98
VM
94

Carmenere Primitivo 2020 750ml

The deep blue colored grapes of the Carmenere varietal have their origins in France, where they are still listed as one of the elite grape varietals allowed by French law for the use in Bordeaux wines, generally regarded to be the finest in the world. However, the use of Carmenere grapes in France has been dwindling for many decades now, and it has been in several New World countries where they have seen their renaissance. Although still mostly used as a blending grape, single variety Carmenere wines are greatly sought after as a result of their deep, complex aromas, stunning blood red color and the fact that the grapes, when processed at optimum ripeness, carry some fascinating flavors, including chocolate, tobacco, and spicy cherry notes.

As with many European grape varietals, there is some debate regarding the precise origins of the Primitivo grape. Most people now agree that it probably came from Croatia, where it is still used widely in the production of red wine, and it known as Tribidrag. However, today it is a grape most commonly associated with the powerful red wines of Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, where the intense sunshine and brisk Mediterranean breezes produce grapes of remarkable character and balance. Primitivo is a dark grape, known for producing intense, inky, highly tannic wines, most notably the naturally sweet Dolce Naturale and the heavy and complex Primitivo di Manduria wines. Primitivo tends to be naturally very high in both tannin and alcohol, making it ideal for both barrel and cellar ageing, which brings out its more rounded and interesting features.


Primitivo is not the easiest grape to grow or manage, and it has had something of a difficult century. Indeed, by the 1990s, there was little interest in Puglian wines in general, and winemakers were neglecting their Primitivo vineyards and looking to other, more commercially viable varietals. However, the last decade has seen this grape come well and truly back into fashion, with new techniques and a heightened interest in native Italian grape varietals bringing Primitivo back into the spotlight. It is now widely loved for its intensity and ability to be paired with strongly flavored foods.