2023 Gran Reserva Cachapoal Carménère, Château Los Boldos Gran Reserva

• Style: Ripe, structured Carménère
• Taste: Blackberry, plum skin, dark chocolate, round tannins
• Food: BBQ & grilled dishes, stews, beef, game, lamb
• Occasion: Weeknight; Sunday lunch
• Serve: 16–18°C, decant 30 mins, drink now–2032

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Blackberry and plum-skin intensity meets confident restraint in a wine that balances ripeness with architectural grip. Dark chocolate depth lingers through the finish, supported by round tannins that soften with air. At 14% alcohol, the acidity carries the structure without strain—a wine built to be drunk, not dissected.

The Winery — Château Los Boldos

Founded in 1991 and repositioned under Sogrape's ownership in 2008, the estate was transformed when soil scientist Pedro Parra assessed every plot and matched varieties to their individual terroirs. The Cachapoal foothills, 100km south of Santiago, provide alluvial soils from the river's terraces—mineral precision that defines these wines. This Gran Reserva comes from single-vineyard sites, where vines now average a decade old. The 2023 vintage saw a cold spring delay flowering, then November heat waves accelerated ripening by three weeks, concentrating fruit with precision. The blend is 85% Carménère, the grape Chile has claimed as its own, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Lacrima adding backbone and lift. After five days of cold maceration and temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, twenty percent of the final wine spends ten months in older barrels for subtle oak integration; the rest stays bright in steel.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Open this wine with beef stew, grilled game, or aged cheese and watch the round structure soften with air. The concentrated fruit and dark chocolate undertone anchor it equally well to BBQ, lamb, or venison—any meal where you want presence without fuss. Decant for thirty minutes before serving at 16–18°C. A weeknight workhorse and a Sunday-lunch centrepiece alike, this is the kind of wine that rewards bold food and honest company. Vegetarian and vegan-friendly, it sits comfortably within our broader range of bold reds from Chile and stands beside our full Carménère selection.