by Andrew Chalk
2011 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Santiago, Chile is a reserve offering in Concha y Toro’s popularly priced Casillero del Diablo line. Despite its modest $12 price tag it is a solid and immediately enjoyable red wine. The nose is Cabernet fruit and black cherries. The mouth feel is soft with a hint of residual sugar likely reflecting ripe fruit. There is just enough tannic to give it a backbone and a pleasant, long fruit finish.
Drink immediately with steak, lamb or barbecue, or just quaff it on the porch warm summer evenings.
This wine is widely available around Dallas.
Note: This wine was sent as a media sample.
We tried their Malbec a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know if it was a bad bottle but it was just awful. I just got back from Mexico and it is very popular there.
Hi, Dawn — sorry about your less-than-positive recent experience with the Casillero Malbec. This is a wine that has generated a good deal of positive press, so you may have been unlucky and bought a bottle that was either “corked” or poorly stored. Extreme heat or cold, or prolonged exposure to light will all damage the contents of a wine. If you can recall the store at which you bought this bottle, I can see if our local salesperson can look into the matter. Hope to hear further and with best — Jane
I think we bought it at Target at Medallion or Cityplace. I think we still have the bottle on the counter.
Dawn — Thanks for getting back on this. If the bottle has been open and on the countertop for over a day (as opposed to re-sealed and placed in the refrigerator), it’s probably no longer suitable for drinking — though you can still use it in cooking. Meantime, I’ll contact the local sales person to look into the stock status at Medallion and Cityplace.
I am not sure why it hasn’t been thrown away but it wasn’t suitable for drinking when we first open it. I was disappointed. I love Malbecs. Thanks for getting back to me.
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Hi Dawn: Thanks for commenting. Likely a bad bottle as I also tried their Malbec (as well as the Carmenere and the Chardonnay). The Merlot was technically sound but the Cabernet was my overall favorite.
This cabernet was my house wine for awhile. I started drinking lighter reds, but it’s still one of my favorites. Nice, solid, go-to red…
this is a good wine for the price point