My first red wine from Mar y Tierra is their Carmenére, which is a nice grape that was for too long thought to be Merlot down in South America. It is a very rich grape, and can be worthy to stand amidst a good Pinot Noir as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is probably the tenth one that I have tasted, and while it isn't my favorite, it's actually a nice, dark release. Weirdly enough, I tried this while reading The Strain, a wonderful new vampire novel by Guillermo del Toro, the man behind Pan's Labyrinth. I will also say that I had it after two events: a nice private event by Chaddsford Winery where I consumed at least four of their delectable reds, and a Swing Out Sister concert, where I was forced to drink a crappy Sauvignon Blanc.

While I am not going to go into how regally purple the color of this wine is, I will just focus on it's flavor, which is wonderfully smoke, slightly tannic (very smooth tannins), and filled with a demure rendering of blackberries and dark cherries. I would even admit that this has the slightest hint of spice, like a very faint nutmeg or cardamom.