Wednesday, August 26, 2020

2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère

 Happy Wine Wednesday!  It's been a while since I've posted as I've been on a vacation road trip over ten days, driving from Indiana to Yellowstone and stopping at all manner of sites in between.  Tonight I hosted a virtual wine tasting with some of my coworkers and since we were focused on tasting a single varietal (Carmenère), I needed to find a bottle that everyone could find at their local market.  So, I chose the 2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère from Chile.  I was inspired to do this varietal tasting based on one held by Chuck Reininger a few months back that highlighted this lost Bordeaux varietal.  Let's see how this one is tasting!

2018 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, typical of a nice CarmenèreThe nose presents aromas of blackberry, raspberry, green grass and a bit of Bordeaux style funk.  The taste is far less fruit forward than suggested by the nose,with subdued flavors of blackberry and currant that transitions to some earthy notes of tar and graphite intermingled with cocoa powder and black pepper.  The tannins are well structured providing a base for the soft dry finish.

Truffle salted filet mignon, roasted baby potatoes and haricots verts almondine

Overall, I would rate this wine a 7.5, as it's a nice everyday drinking wine at a value price of just $10.  This wine would pair well with a variety of hearty dishes, from steak and lamb to chorizo tacos.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a truffle salted filet mignon along with some roasted baby potatoes I picked up at the farmers' market in Douglas, Wyo. last saturday and some steamed green beans with slivered almonds.  Cheers!

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