Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon – Devilish Release

Casillero del Diablo is no stranger to Cheap Wine Ratings. Chile has been a great source or good, affordable wines for years. And Casillero Del Diablo is a big Chilean brand that’s been churning out bargain bottles for years.

I’ve honestly had a love/hate relationship with Casillero del Diablo. Sometimes I find their wines to be obtuse. You know, all big and bold without much nuance or real character — but of course some people love that type of wine. And sometimes I find their wines to be pretty good. I don’t want to like them because they’re too much of a big, “bulk wine” brand. But if a wine is tasty and inexpensive, what’s not to love.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. With the fancy design on the bottle, I expected this one to be all marketing and no substance. But it was pretty good. Of course it does have some of that signature boldness I expect from a Casillero del Diablo, but it’s not over the top.

The nose is pleasant, delivering cherry, plum and cola aromas. You might say a bit of cherry cola. The palate brings more of that cherry and plum with some spice. It’s not too sweet, like some cheap red wines can be. The acidity is good. The mouth feel is nice. The finish is plenty long and filled with cherry flavors.

I found I liked this one even more after letting it rest overnight. So keep that in mind if you can wait that long.

Wine: Casillero del Diablo, Cabernet Sauvignon – Devilish Release
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $11.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.