Concha Y Toro Cabernet-Syrah Blend Casillero del Diablo 2007

A new addition to the Casillero line of great values, this Reserva Privada offers currant and black pepper scents over a firm texture; its tannins support the wine's refreshing fruit character.

Exuberant flavors of strawberries and blackberries meld with this wine's firm structure. The depth of the fruit demands full-flavored dishes. Try it with braised lamb.

Inky ruby. Brooding cherry and cassis on the nose, with hints of pepper and spice trying to struggle through. Subdued but alluringly sweet dark berry flavors are kissed by vanillin oak. Offers good sweetness but seems a bit stunted right now. The finish shows bitter cherry and dark chocolate character and lingers nicely.

Sweet and ripe in aromatics, with notes of maple and inky black fruit scents. The palate is rock-solid and thick, with a good texture, tannic grip and flavors of cassis, berry and leather. Composed and medium-long on the sturdy finish. A mix of 85% Cab and 15% Syrah.

Ripe, with a tasty core of blackberry, fig and boysenberry fruit, laced with mocha and melted licorice notes, followed by a fleshy finish. Drink now.

A step up is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Reserva Privada, a wine which spent 14 months in French oak. The nose reveals spice box, violets, plum, and black cherry. Spicy on the palate with pepper and earth notes, it also has enough tannin to improve for 1-2 years. The lengthy, pure finish suggests that this wine will drink well through 2017.

RP: 87 Points