Chile con Car[me]nè[re]

Carmenère was one of the earliest varieties to be grown in Bordeaux.  It's a tough vine to raise, so it has been mostly yanked out of its French home.  Carmenère was taken to South America pre-Phylloxera.  Chilean winemakers have since shown an affinity for this somewhat Merlot-like grape.  Enter Envero (No! not this Enver)

The Skinny
Apaltagua 'Envero' '01 ($14)

• 91% Carmenère & 9% Cabernet Sauvignon
• From the Colchagua Valley, central Chile
• A leathery-red color with narrow coral rim
• Overall, a faint nose.  Sweet spices (oakyoakyoak), black cherry, and some blueberry
• Medium-bodied; slight, coating tannins; a little low acidity; somewhat 'green' tasting

**.5 (2.5 stars out of 5)

This wine received numerous accolades.  I, however, wasn't won over by the lack of character.  It's not bad - yet for fourteen bucks I expect a little more.

(ed's note: apologies for the wacky text formatting in this post.  I just can't seem to fix it w/o losing the entire post.)