Kai Carmenere
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb chops, grilled ribeye steak, slow-cooked wild boar ragu
✨ Technical Specifications
Errazuriz's Kai Carmenere is widely regarded as one of the ultimate expressions of Chile's signature grape variety. First released with the 2005 vintage, Kai made history by showcasing the world-class potential of Carmenere, a grape once thought extinct in Europe and rediscovered in Chile. The name 'Kai' translates to 'plant' or 'tree' in the native Mapudungun language of the Mapuche people, paying homage to the deep roots of Chilean terroir. Sourced primarily from the Max V vineyard in the heart of the Aconcagua Valley, the vines benefit from a Mediterranean climate where hot days are tempered by cooling morning mists and evening breezes from the Pacific Ocean. This unique microclimate allows the notoriously late-ripening Carmenere to achieve perfect phenolic ripeness while retaining its vibrant acidity. Hand-harvested and aged for up to 20 months in French oak barrels, Kai is celebrated for its deep purple hue, velvety texture, and complex layers of black fruit, roasted coffee, and subtle spicy undertones.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1870 by Don Maximiano Errázuriz, Viña Errázuriz stands as one of Chile's most prestigious and historic wine estates, situated in the premier terroir of the Aconcagua Valley. Under the visionary stewardship of Eduardo Chadwick, the family-owned winery played a transformative role in demonstrating Chile's world-class winemaking pedigree to the international community, epitomized by the historic 2004 Berlin Tasting. Combining state-of-the-art sustainable viticulture with a deep reverence for the valley's distinct Andean and coastal microclimates, the estate is dedicated to crafting wines of exceptional elegance, structure, and aging potential. Errázuriz is renowned globally for its flagship icon cuvées, including Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve, Kai Carmenère, and La Cumbre Syrah, alongside its expressive Max Reserva line.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Carmenere (typically blended with a small percentage of Syrah and Petit Verdot)
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
14% - 14.5%