This Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2005 is deep purple. On the nose is woods and fields with shades of pencil shavings, tea, and cherries. On the palate is cherries and leather. It is dry and medium bodied with dense tannins. The wine is crisp with noticeable acidity.
It is nice to be home! I am sitting here with Trigger on my lap. I have a pot of turkey-barley soup on the stove. I have been on the road. I had the pleasure of working with a team of professionals: Dr. John Hitt, Dr. Jane Moore, and Ms. Amy Bair, as well as leadership from Mr. Byron Hatch and Ms. Cynthia Rail. We worked hard but had a great time together! Here’s to my colleagues [clink]!
Tom: This Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2005 is a great wine! It’s big and tannic, with tastes of coffee, chocolate, and cherry. A delicious, unusual, and intriguing wine.
December 23, 2007 at 11:05 pm
We tried this wine with Texas brisket sent from our brother Bob and sister-in-law Suzanne. It was a great combination! Steve commented “spicy finish..pleasant on the nose..hints of blackberries and leather.” Dad said “very assertive - spicy, and OK with brisket”. Pat liked it for being dry, light, and a nice compliment to the hot, spicy barbecue. Bob stated “slightly peppery and nice tannins (although admittedly none of us knew much about tannins…). Thanks for the recommendation!
December 23, 2007 at 11:07 pm
“It drinks good”.
December 24, 2007 at 10:25 am
Glad to hear that this Carmenere went well with the brisket! And excellent wine notes!! Also try the Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s also very good and a great value.
John Brecher and Dottie Gaiter (the wine writers at the Wall Street Journal) say that the Casillero del Diablo white wines are also great, although we haven’t tried them yet.
Happy holidays!
January 21, 2008 at 9:04 am
I agree with you guys. I just bought this wine at the grocery store. How convenient and no shipping cost - LOL.
This wine is quite good. Chilean wine is becoming quite popular now and rightfully so. My wife commented on the tannis also. Although she didn’t know the technical term. “It dried her mouth out”. I’m sure you know, maybe some of your readers don’t, that recently, a study in wine production and consumption has shown that tannins in the form of procyanidins, have a beneficial effect on vascular health. The study showed that tannins suppressed production of the peptide responsible for hardening arteries. To support their findings, the study also points out that wines from the regions of southwest France and Sardinia are particularly rich in procyanidins, and that these regions also produce populations with longer life spans.
To a long life, cheers!
January 21, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I’ll drink to that! Thank you for such happy news!
May 7, 2008 at 9:57 pm
olha, estou tomando este vinho agora… safra 2006… mesmo assim, muito bom!
May 8, 2008 at 7:19 am
Leo, excelente! Apreciar!
May 11, 2008 at 8:08 pm
We will be on the lookout for the 2005 vintage of this wine… your review was very intriguing. We enjoyed the 2006.
http://www.justagrape.com/category/redwine/carmenere/