Arboleda
1998 Carmenere

Appellation: Maipo Valley, Chile

The Arboleda Winery is the first ever built outside California by Robert Mondavi. We are told that Carmenere is a grape used in the 1700's in Bordeaux, with some similarity to Merlot. This Chilean wine had a Bordeaux-like edge to the nose, with berry/currant elements, a floral violet edge that reminded us of a Cabernet Franc, and a huge dose of spicy oak. Flavors were ripe and round, but both the flavors and finish seemed dominated by oak. Where the oak impression on the nose was spicy, on the palate it seemed a bit raw and overdone. An interesting and fun wine to try, and it would be rated a few points higher without the oak overdose.