Wine of the Week: Vina Carmen Carmenere Rapel Valley 2006

I chose to profile this week's wine, the 2006 Carmen Carmenere from the Vina Carmen winery in Chile, for two reasons. First, it retails for under $10, which is always appreciated. Secondly, it is a wine under $10 that is actually a little bit interesting and definitely something different.

Dark red (almost purple) in color, the 2006 Carmen Carmenere releases aromas of raspberry, which are accented by spicy, almost fiery, herbal background notes, reminiscent of chili peppers. The taste is bold, with the fruit coming through on the approach and the mid-palate, and a lingering spicy black pepper finish following. I found the fruit flavors to be mainly raspberry and black cherry. The most striking aspect of this wine's flavor to me, though, is the hard-to-miss green pepper woven throughout. That green pepper flavor is not always a desireable characteristic, but it seems to work here, and while it's not something I would like to have every day, it is an interesting departure from the usual earthy red. This wine is worth a try if you're looking for something different, but still inexpensive.