Cool Carmenere

Chilled out with a cool carmenere tonight, from Calina, 2004 Reserva, from Chile of course. Why do I say of course? coz Chile is the only country which bottles carmenere by itself in any qunatity.
What is carmenere? it probably originated in France (it used to be used quite a bit in Bordeaux), but got transplanted to Chile way long ago and then people apparently forgot what it was - it was just assumed to be merlot coz it tastes a bit like merlot. Anyways, now the Chileans diligently bottle it without blending with other varietals and it does quite well by itslelf. This example is dark purple, stains the teeth and has a nice beefy, beety mouthfeel. Nothing special, but nevertheless well made and typical of the way the Chileans make this wine.
The Verdict: Good
Value: Not bad at $16.95.