(2010) This budget-busting wine from Santa Carolina comes in an absolutely enormous bottle that could easily be mistaken for a magnum. It is made from 100% Carmenère from Puemo in the Cachapoal Valley. It is interesting to note just how focused on Carmenère Chile's top red wines are, either as varietals or playing a large part in the blend. That certainly sets Carmenère apart from other 'flagship' varieties like Zinfandel in the US or Pinotage in South Africa: the Chileans are serious about Carmenère not only as their 'own' signature grape, but as the one that will make their greatest wines. Herencia has a sensational nose, wreathed in woodsmoke and graphite minerality, with cedarwood and refined, elegantly spiced black fruit and little glimpses of more delicate. more floral aromatics. On the palate this has, rather like the 'Specialities' Carignan, a terrific tension between the sweet, dense and ultimately fleshy blue-black fruit and a genuine sense of finesse and precision. That mineral, almost ashy quality comes through again, giving this a peppery, dry, but beautifully harmonious finish. Whether or not the UK will bite on the prospect of a £100 Chilean wine - even one as good as this - remains to be seen, but it is terrific stuff. £100.00, Percy Fox.