Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo 2012 Reserva Privada Cabernet Sauvignon (85% Chile's Maipo Valley)/Syrah (15% Chile's Rapel Valley), $11.19-$16.99, 89 points, appeared as a bright ruby with flashes of pink and orange near the glass shallows and clear wine ring.
Toasty black fruit and truffle on the nose were dominant.
Medium-plus bodied carried good acidity with slightly astringent and firm tannins.
This was another "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" wine (first I liked, then I didn't, then I did); Flavors of blueberry, blackberry, savory, and tobacco at times were extraordinary, but there were moments this wine seemed a bit thin, but overall I was more than pleased.
Finished on the trailing palate and an underlayment of spice with a well integrated and slightly warm 14.5% alcohol.
Chile, as in the USA requires a wine to have 75% of a varietal to be labeled as a Cabernet Sauvignon or other; though the Privada also denotes Syrah too, I've taken the liberty to classify this wine as a Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Sweet! I'm living in South America at the moment; it's nice to see wines from down here being enoyed in the states :)
ReplyDeletePE: Thanks for the comments! Some people don't like hoi polloi wine reviews, but I'm an equal-opportunity wine reviewer with my theme being wines found in NH, and geared toward friends and neighbors. South America is rich in wines, and I think Argentina makes the best Malbec in the world.
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