Welcome Juan, and the Carmenere

One of the pleasures of the wine business is meeting new people, especially citizens of lands I’ve never visited. The human commonalities are immediately evident, but the perceived “foreignness” is an amalgam of subtle differences and similarities, almost like a song you’ve heard before, but where? The cadences of language, the juxtaposition of verb and subject in a way that causes a smile, but reveals an innocence and a desire to learn, but also the willingness to be mutually discovered. “Here I am. I’m new here. Let’s talk about wine. English sure is interesting to speak.” These words, (in fact, unspoken), sort of hung in the air, for about five seconds, until Juan Pagola smiled and spoke. Warmth and enthusiasm for life, work, family, right viticulture, and wine, too, were all out front as we sampled a new Reserve Carmenere from Undurraga.

Years ago, this grape was brought over from France, to Chile. It was “mislabeled” merlot, until 1990, when an oenologist ended two hundred years of mistaken identity. This grape has too much personality to be (sorry) mistaken for merlot. A gorgeous body and legs, (all legitimate wine terms, thank you), with a mouth-feel like Paris...whoops. (My editor just shut me down. Back to business.) The wine reminds me a bit of malbec, with a touch of tempranillo, only with more authority. It is silky smooth, and will stand up to a roast or steak. The wine has a polished feeling, without being forced or scripted. It has a “family vineyard” feeling, pretty good stuff from a company that makes 1.2 million cases of wine a year. We are hoping to see it in the co-op soon, at a very reasonable 11.99. Hats off to Masciarelli of Massachusetts, the importer, for helping to make this wine a reality, and a warm welcome to Undurraga’s Juan Pagola, soon to put down roots in America with his new bride. Muchas gracias.