De Martino Vigno Old Vines Carignan 2019

The 2019 Vigno had a spectacular and ever-changing nose from the moment I uncorked it. It started with some meaty notes and slowly started developing subtle nuances of roasted coffee, milk with cinnamon and herbs. It has a vibrant palate that makes it feel light and medium-bodied even at 14% alcohol, but the very low pH (3.32) and remarkable acidity (6.38 grams of tartaric acid) clearly lift it up. This is delicious, a wine that never fails to amaze me. It matured in 2,500- and 5,000-liter oak foudres and barriques for 14 months. 11,568 bottles and 60 magnums were filled in February 2020. This is not pure Cariñena, as it comes from a field blend with 10% to 15% other grapes—Malbec, Cinsault, Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon—that certainly add to it.

The 2019 Carignan Old Vines Series VIGNO is a blend of 85% Carignan with Malbec, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère mixed at the Sauzal vineyard in Maule, which boasts old, unirrigated vines, before being aged for six months in barrels and subsequently foudres for another year and a half as per the plan set out by Marcelo Retamal. Bright purple in the glass. The delicate nose is compact initially before opening out into dried flowers and fresh sour cherry and blackberry along with hints of country herb, coffee and vanilla. Intense in the mouth with fine-grained, grippy tannins, plenty of flavor and a juicy flow.

A medium-bodied red with aromas of black raspberries, blueberries, violets and walnut husk. Firm, chewy tannins and some black-tea character on the palate. Rust and minerals on the finish. Drink from 2022.

De Martino’s VIGNO is a blend of Carignan with 15% Malbec, sourced from granite soils and made with a little carbonic maceration. It’s fresh, focused and mineral, with no new wood, subtle reduction and bracing acidity. 2018-26. Alcohol: 13.5%

Mid crimson. Both smoky and sweet-fruited. Lovely flavours of small dark-red berries. Full in the mouth, creamy and caressing but fresh too. Rich, smooth and spicy. Come and get me. Long too. (JH)