Varietal: Â 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Â Central Valley, Chile
Cost: Â $12 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Â Dark, ruby red with aromas of cherries, black currant, and dark plums. This Cabernet Sauvignon is very concentrated, rich in flavor, perfectly balanced, and boasts a satisfying and lingering finish. Marries well with robust dishes of cheese, pasta, and red beef.
My Review: Â Kicking off November with a review of an old favorite. I’ve done a lot of wine tastings over the year, many of them involving Chilean wines, and those inevitably feature wines from Concha y Toro, which made trying the 2014 Casillero del Diablo Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from them something I was happy to do.
To be fair, the Casillero del Diablo line of wines isn’t their highest end, but I do appreciate that even with their budget wines, Concha y Toro puts out a good product so that you’re at least getting your money’s worth.
This wine was a nice dark red in the glass, and on the nose I picked up cherries and dark plums. In the mouth the wine showed some tart notes of cherry, as well as a bit of strawberry. My wife and I paired this wine with pasta and it showed well, the tartness of the wine matching the acid of the tomato sauce. That being said, it would offer a nice counter to the richness of some red meat if that’s more your speed.
This wine isn’t going to blow you away, but at $12 it’s a good value wine, since it definitely drinks more like a $20 bottle. As we move into the season of parties and family gatherings, a quality budget wine is always a welcome sight, and the easy availability of this wine helps – I’ve seen it in most stores I’ve visited. I wouldn’t make this bottle a feature of any party or dinner I was throwing, but in no way would I hesitate to add it to a table of wines to share with my friends and family.
Editor’s Note: I received this bottle as a free sample for review.
