2008 Cousino-Macul Finis Terrae

So tonight I am enjoying yet another day of stay-cation, but fear not!  I plan to get out on the road to do some camping soon, then we'll see some change!  But until then, I have cracked open a nice bottle of wine from the Maipo Valley of Chile, an area that I've become a big fan of over the last year or so.  And tonight's wine is the 2008 Cousino-Macul Finis Terrae, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (30%) and Syrah (10%).

The wine is a pleasant, deep garnet color in the glass, and the nose is a fantastic blend of rich leather, mint, oak and ripe black fruit, black cherry, plum and blackberry.  The taste  is a lovely combination of spice and fruit on the outset, with some rich berry flavor and some pepper and warm spice.  The spicy fruit transitions effortlessly to some earthy notes midpalate, with flavors of musty oak, grass and tart cherry.  The tannins are very well structured, supporting a wonderfully tight, long, dry finish that seems to last until you're reaching for your next sip!

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as this is a wonderfully structured wine that could easily sell for an inflated price, but this one was a bargain at $19 from wineshopper.com!  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare porterhouse and some fresh grilled Michigan asparagus, nothing like fresh veggies in season!  Salut!