Wine Variety: Carmenère is an historic Médocain grape variety, predating Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard of the Gironde's Left Bank. Its relation to other grapes has been better understood through DNA profiling and it seems that Carmenère, Merlot, Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc and Malbec are all part of the Carmenet grouping of varietals i.e. are all related in some way. Carmenère was confused with Merlot for many years in such places as Chile and Italy, but in France, its plantings dwindled after the Phylloxera outbreak, as other vines offering more reliable fruit set (one of Carmenère's weaknesses) were substituted.  As with Malbec in Argentina and Tannat in Uruguay, so Carmenère has become the signature grape of Chile, where experiments are well under way to find the best vineyard sites for this variety.

Wine Region: The wine producing areas in Chile are all situated in the central latitudes of this elongated country. The Limari Valley is located in Coquimbo, to the north of Chile's vineyards. Coquimbo was once a centre for pisco production but is now increasingly known for wine.

Wine Producer: Guillermo Luksic bought land in the Limari Valley in the early 1990s, planted grapes and bottled his first wine in 2002. Tabali was the first commercial winery here. The company is now run by Guillermo's son Nicolas. In 2013 Tabali expanded into Maipo with the purchase of a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard there. 

*Tom Cannavan's Wine of the Week on wine-pages.com, 03/02/2020*