Santa Rita "Medalla Réal" Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Here's a dense, brooding, rich Cab that's jam-packed with plum and chocolate aromas. In the mouth, there's plenty of structure, with full tannins to boot. Yet it's perfectly round, smooth and easy to drink. Cabernets this big and tasty don't usually cost less than $20, so jump at this Maipo marvel if you get the chance.

An outstanding wine, the dark ruby-colored 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Medalla Real, a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, was aged for 17 months in new, one and two years old French oak barrels (the 1998, which didn't have the fruit of the 1999, was aged for only 10 months in wood). It exhibits gorgeous aromas of fresh dark berries, toast, and spices. This medium to full-bodied wine is rich, lush, and plump. Huge quantities of cherries, blackberries, cassis, and plums are intermingled with herbal spices and notes of menthol in its fruit-driven personality. Projected maturity: now-2012.

The buoyant fruit of the terrific '99 Chilean vintage is here in abundance, but there's also a more classical streak of Old-World poise and restraint bourne out in the strong notes of menthol and cedar at play underneath the round plum and black cherry up top. A really excellent value.

This well-balanced red offers black cherry, herbal and light coffee flavors with firm but unobstructive tannins. It's both flavorful and refreshing, a fine food wine.

Ripe, smooth and generous, this spice-scented Chilean wine offers rich currant, plum, tobacco and vanilla aromas and flavors that are round, silky and generous on the finish. Has style and grace. Drinkable now, but better around 1995.

A light-bodied wine with pretty cherry flavors, spicy, toasty oak notes and firm tannins on the finish. Not a blockbuster, but has appealing personality, good with food.

The freshness and concentration of this young Maipo Cabernet is apparent from its bright color and dark scents of cassis and violets. It's super rich on the palate, with the red and black currant fruit coming forward in waves of ripeness. Chocolate tannins continue the richness through the finish, entwining the flavor of cocoa with dark woodland berries. The texture is smooth, the balance brisk and firm.