Dark fruit, chocolate, coffee and tobacco combine to give a rich flavour, would be an excellent wine if it had more body to it but at £4.99 you can't complain too much.

If Casillero del Diablo are making wine with this much flavour then the Winemaker's Lot Carmènere should be a treat.

Update on this one - either it's my palate or variations in the quality but the last bottle I tried of this was spot on - deep brambly plummy fruit and the decanter silver award suddenly made sense.


Deserving of a

Have agreed with you in the past.

Lovely ripe raspberry aroma – typical of Carmenère. Definitely sweet and darkly fruity, with some plain chocolate. Pretty good.
08/10/2008

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mel

Just gone down to £4.99 in Co-op, as well.

This was on the Co-op blurb

Made by Marcelo Papa, Concha y Toro’s highly talented head winemaker, and produced from fruit sourced in the Rapel Valley, it is a blend of 85% Carmenère and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 70% of which was aged in American oak barrels for eight months. Chocolate, coffee and spice combine with raspberries, blackberries and soft tannins, resulting in a full-bodied, but velvety smooth red. Ideally serve by a warm fire or by the barbeque at night with any red meat dish or a spicy aubergine bake

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mel

I’m often cautious when it comes to Carmenere, have been disappointed many times in the past. The grape needs to be super-ripe, anything less results in a nagging bitterness in the finish. The fruit for this wine is grown in the Rapel Valley, a well made example will be meaty and herbal, smooth and dense.

I will buy this over the weekend.

Opened last night.

Some smoked herb and bitter chocky, nicely balanced with a solid creamy texture. No real depth but very good for the dosh.

At £4.99 it gets one from me too...

I opened one of these last night after being disappointed with Organic Bosquets de la Dame CdR 2008 from M&S which I had opened the night before.

I can only echo what has been said before regarding the tasting. CyT have a knack at producing wines of great balance. The sweetness, fruit flavour and oak is always just right. My only criticism of this range is if you do not drink in one sitting then the sweetness tends to dominate and the oak almost disappears. Does this hint towards some trickery here?

Anyway, with the Diablo reds you cannot really go wrong for the money. I can't think of anyone who does a better job at this level.

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tribs

After the opulent '07's and the juicy '09's, anything at this level in between is going to seem austere. It may come round, but it may dry out ! Take back for refund, if you bought a load. There are some lovely '09 CdRs still to be had.

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Duncan

'07 and '09 were certainly better vintages, but I have had other '08 Rhones that were fine. The fruit in the Bosquets is actually very good, but there is something on the finish which lets it down. I highly suspect the misuse of tired oak. If I'm correct, then it is a waste. With the right oak it could have been very good

Ever the optimist, I am hoping for it to subside with a little time.

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tribs

Optimism is the way forward.

I'm having trouble finding any decent offers on 2009 CdR. The Retailers are actually reading all the TN's out there - Damn it

Yeah - Tired old oak messes-up the flavour. Most producers are up to speed on this though. I note from trawling though my "telephone directory" Decanter winners issue this month, that innovative wine makers in the NW are getting out the blow lamps and charring their barrels to add spicy smoke notes to their white wines - yeah, "think kippers versus herring" A damn good way of organically ridding any unwanted fungi in the barrels.

I'm enjoying another wonderful Goldwater '10, although Vavasour '10 took the Decanter gold again. Vav'09 & Vav'07 were the very special QPR ones though. We get some of them right.

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Duncan