Errázuriz Kai Carmenere 2010

Rachelle O'Connor rated this wine as 94/100 with the following review:

Kai - translating to "plant" from the Chilean dictee, - this wine was a real treat. It absolutely was as divine as expected. From the best of the Valle de Aconcagua Vineyard - hot days; cool nights. Delivers wonderful full flavoured wines. Complex, and a touch green this wine will drink well in 2018-2020 but could age longer. Lots of spice! But not too hot, well balanced on the palate, lots of chocolate, cherries and cloves. Hints of tobacco and licorice. This was a real treat, especially hearing the winemaker share his vision and passion for creating this wine.

Matt Steeves rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

Certainly the most storied Carmenere I've tasted, and at $145, I expected it to deliver. It did.

The grapes for this this iconic Chilean wine were selected from the best blocks of their Valle de Aconcagua vineyard (Mediterranean climate) which benefits from a long dry growing season with cool evenings given the proximity of the Pacific Ocean (~25km away). The result is a full flavoured beautifully constructed elegant wine.

Winemaker Francisco Baettig has succeeded in producing an elegant and complex wine that demonstrates the best characteristics of Chile's signature varietal, without the greenness that is often attributed to it. The vines for this premium Carmenere were planted in the early 90s and only in 2005 did they first produce a "KAI" Carmenere.

The nose is inviting with soft notes of molasses, baking spice, stewed fruit, espresso, and sweet balsamic notes.

Mouthfeel is soft and elegant. The depth of flavour is impressive in this well structured and perfectly balanced wine.

Looking forward to my next opportunity to enjoy a "KAI" Carmenere!

Heather Wall rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

A wine lovers wine! Dark ruby with purple rim. Full bodied. Aromas leap from the glass: sweet dark fruit, sweet spice, mocha, strawberry, oak and mint. The mouth presents some good tannins with jam, red licorice and vanilla. A little heat but nothing that overpowers the wine. Good balance. Limited edition. Through consignment only. A little FYI: Kai translated means "plant". Salud!

Courtney Flood rated this wine as 95/100 with the following review:

Late ripening Carmenere is harvested end of April to mid-May. This grape variety needs a lot of aging to soften the higher pyrazine level, but the winemaker intentionally leaves a small amount of greenness, as he believes it’s a characteristic of the grape. 20 months aging in small, new oak barrels to add depth. This wine is limited production.

This wine is my favourite Errazuriz pick! Would make a nice splurge wine. Rich and spicy, but still bright aroma from some greenness. Very deep colour. Very rich colour starting with dried fruit, cassis and fig and black cherry, but ends with a LOT of spice: clove and cinnamon, and some dark chocolate. Still tannic and a touch green, so needs a lot more aging. Winemakers says wine will start drinking nicely in 2018, but could age much longer.

Jane Staples rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Kai, which means "plant" in Chile's Indigenous language, is the signature variety from Errazuriz. It has a spicy, red fruit nose and a beautifuul palate with multi-layersof blk cherries, strawberry jam,spice, milk chocolate and maybe a touch of tar. A wondefful long finish leaves flavours of red fruit and chocolate caressing your mouth.
A gift wine, not too soon to think about asking Santa!

Malcolm Lamont rated this wine as 96/100 with the following review:

Deep in colour with ruby-purpleish hues.
Lovely on the nose, with aromas of spice, oak, and red and dried fruit.

This Kai (translated to 'Plant') is a carmenère of exquisite finesse! It further goes to show great complexity, character and balance.. The ingredients for a fantastic wine!

This one is not available in market, but would make a wonderful gift for the avid wine lover. (Hint: see SAQ or contact Mike Plume for fair sized private orders)

Tasted September 26, 2013