Santa Rita Carmenere Reserve 2007

                                             


Colour: Deep dark dense plum colour.
.
Nose:   Fragrant with hints of licquorice(Bertie Bassetts) morello cherry, dark chocolate and coconut.

Palate: The wine carries these flavours onto the palate  which is rich and smooth with very silky tannins and a  long rich finish.


The grape variety in this wine is Carmenere which originally came from Bordeaux  but it became virtually extinct in France when an insect,that came over on a vine cutting from America ,decided to munch its way through the vineyards of Europe.


However cuttings of Carmenere had already been brought to Chile and planted out but it was assumed to be  Merlot to which  it bears a close resemblance until it was genetically fingerprinted  in 1994. 


So for Chile this gave them a unique grape variety to work with and Carmenere  is now considered their flagship wine. So in terms of value you are looking at top of the range wine making at a value price because not too many people are familiar with the grape variety yet.

                                                                 

Santa Rita, the producer of this particular wine, is also steeped in history as the original house, owned at the time by  the champion of independence  Paula Jaraquemada, was used to hide Bernardo O` Higgins ,the first ruler of independent Chile, and 120 of his independence soldiers from the Spanish soldiers during the war of independence.




Paula Jaraquemada  1768-1851

           

                                                                                                                    

As the name would suggest O`Higgins did indeed have Irish blood. Bernardos dad Ambrose was from Ballynary Co. Sligo and Old Ambrose  himself actually ruled Peru and Chile under the Spanish .His pal Juan Mc Kenna , from just outside Monaghan town, was also made viceroy of Peru and  became Bernardos close ally. Juan eventually died in a duel fought against Bernardos independence   rival Jose Carrera ,who was actually the soldier who had failed to arrive with reinforcements thus causing Bernardo to have to hide in the Santa Rita house.Bernardo later allowed Carrera be to arrested and executed.
                                                                      Bernardo O Higgins 1778-1842

It is amazing to think of the achievements of these men, going  from Ireland to Spain to become soldiers ,then to travel to South America ,and that not being enough but  to actually become the virtual rulers of some these South America countries. Trotting from country to country, continent to continent, over and back across the Andes depending if they were winning or loosing… just ships ,horses and feet no other transport!
Juan Mackenna 1771-1814



It would appear however that these lads were no Saints! Bernardo himself  had several children by different mothers and is even  rumored to have had a child with an ex. of his fathers who had also had a child with the same lady .
So Bernardo`s half sister was a half sister to Bernardo`s daughter !headache... but not illegal.!
Indeed Bernardo  himself was the result of an affair between his Irish father and a Basque  lady.

                                                                  Ambrosia O`Higgins1720-1801
                                                     

Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo!

Evelyn 

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