Adventures in Carmenere

So, I have sort of taken the Chilean varietal Carmenere under my wing since I first had an amazing bottle of it a few months ago. I decided to eat a piece of cold pizza with a glass of this wine. Hey, I turned in a big paper today, I wanted a glass or two. Upon first glance at this 2004 Castillero del Diablo Carmenere (from the Chilean giant Concha y Toro), I saw promise. A rich dark magenta in the glass, I expected something I would come to adore. Suprisingly I felt like the aroma lacked...well...aroma. I got a little tart cranberry-ish scent with a little sharp herbal note, which I could feel in the first sip. The first sip was just that--sharp. Maybe it's a little too young. But after the I swallowed, the wine bloomed. It softened out with a light almost vanilla softness, but without the nice hint of spice I was looking for. Then I had some pizza, and all was well with the world. I have to say, not my favorite carmenere by far, although after I let it calm down a bit, much softer. I don't think it was the best wine to start with. I think I was in the mood for something trashy and chilled. Cheers!

So I have yet to work out a rating system. But I think I'm going to use more than one number--two, in fact. A Quality ranking and maybe a Value ranking. Quality is basically taste, aroma, body, craftsmanship, etc. And value is sort of a balance between price and Quality. Like if a wine is cheap and bad, it still get's a low Value.

2004 Castillero del Diablo Carmenere
Q: 7.5
V: 8