Our 2007 Estate Carmenère was sourced from our vineyards in the Aconcagua Valley, just few miles from our flagship Don Maximiano Estate. This region features a Mediterranean climate where the moderately warm summer days and cooling afternoon breezes result in high diurnal temperature variations (20°C/68°F) in the weeks before harvest, stimulating high concentrations of polyphenols (anthocyanins), which creates wines with tremendous colour intensity. Vineyard soils are mainly of alluvial origin from the Aconcagua River, which generally results in very good drainage conditions. The alluvial base is topped with varying depths of colluvial deposits with low to medium vigour potentials. This condition facilitates balanced vegetative growth in the vines and encourages good maturation in the grapes.
Vineyard management includes drip irrigation and cane pruning. Vertical shoot positioning ensures longer solar exposure throughout the season and encourages the development of high quality fruit.

Although the 2006-2007 season began with normal temperatures, they dropped to slightly lower than normal between October and December, which did not affect vine growth. An unexpected 50 mm (2 in) October rainfall complicated flowering and resulted in lower yields. The January through April maturation period was colder than in a normal year, which slowed the ripening. The combination of low temperatures, slow ripening, and low yields helped the grapes achieve good character, high quality tannins, and excellent acidity. The key to making good Carmenère this year was to wait for the flavours to develop, which occurred during the second week of May.

The grapes were hand-picked during the first half of May and transported to the winery in bins, where they were gently crushed into stainless steel tanks. All the grapes were fermented immediately in stainless steel tanks. Alcoholic fermentation took place at 26-30°C (79-86°F) with 2 pumpovers per day. Because the grapes for this wine come from different vineyards, the length of post-fermentation maceration depended upon the development of the individual lots. Most lots underwent 12-20 days of extended skin contact, although a few were left as long as 30 days. Half of the wine was aged for approximately 6–8 months in 1- to 3-year-old American and French oak barrels, which helped round out the wine and contributed to a sweet mouthfeel. After the final blend was made, the wine was cold settled and lightly filtered before bottling.

Deep, dark red in colour, with pleasing aromas of spices, roasted red peppers, a light touch of mint, black fruit, and ash. The creamy palate is well-structured, with sweet, friendly tannins. Flavours of coffee and mocha appear along with toasty oak leading to a pleasing finish.