Concha y Toro (Chile) Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Wine brands are all about consistency – or at least consumer perception of consitency – yet so often a favourite everyday wine goes off the boil. Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo label is one I’ve been following for 10 years now, and this Cabernet seems every bit as good – if not better – than it ever was. 70% of the wine spends six to eight months in small American oak barrels, the rest in stainless steel. It has a lovely cedary and pencil-shaving nose, with a dusty quality to the blackcurrant fruit and a touchy of classic Cabernet leafiness. On the palate it is juicy and lively, with plenty of fruit packed into the mid-palate, a fine-grained, supple tannin quality, and notes of clove and tarry spices in the finish. It is fruity and forward, yet the acidity snaps in nicely. For a wine that is so widely available the quality is terrific. 5.99, Oddbins, Thresher, Asda, Budgens, Booths, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Spar, Londis, Tesco, Waitrose, Somerfield.
