Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2008 - The Co-op

A wine that has consistently hit the spot over recent years - after an hour open, this is really superb. For me, Carmenere in Chile often manages to avoid the jammy obviousness of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignion (and I include the expensive examples - £15 plus - in that 'jammily obvious' assessment. Not to say that there are no exceptions, but I'm too often disappointed...)

So - this has great concentration, less obvious fruit sweetness than your average top-notch Chilean cabernet (a good thing) a lovely nose and good balance. It is rough around the edges, and a couple of hours after opening it is a little hot, it has lovely acidity which requires food really, it is a rustic wine, all of these things are kind of the point....

So on the surface of this, one could argue that stylistically this has something in common with Bordeaux/Margaret River and maybe a lighter more refined version of Madiran, whilst still being a bit rough and rustic. But I'm going to throw it in with our Lime Tree Cabernet previously reviewed - this is a better wine than the super-cheapo Lime Tree but what they have in common is that this is a nice expression of alternative stunts the new world can pull when the winemaker doesn't run with the 'in-crowd.' And interestingly, like the Lime Tree cabernet I would suggest this has some fig and menthol components.

Addemdum: Drunk side by side with a bottle of Mitolo Gam 2003, purchased from Lay and Wheeler and stored at Vinotheque since release, represenative (I have had many bottles) and rated 96-100 by Robert Parker, the Casillero del Diablo stands its ground. On opening the GAM, the Casillero is better, but the GAM wins through with air, albeit by a small margin. These are comparable wines.

Update: Feb 10th 2010. Another bottle, every bit as good as the first. This is now less than £5 - unbelievable at that price. Nothing else like this for £5.

Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2008 7.5/10 The Co-op £7.03