Marques de Casa Concha, Cabernet Sauvignon

A couple days ago I was thinking about the price limit I use on this site. As a general rule of thumb I have focused on wines priced at $20 or less since I launched the site. There have been some exceptions over the years, but that’s been the target price. However it’s been over 10 years since this blog began and certainly there has been some inflation since then.

Should I raise the price limit of my target wines to $25 or less? Of course I would still search out those well under that price more often than not.

If I took the $20 target from 10 years ago and accounted for inflation since then my target price would be $23.93. That’s a little bit under $25 but we’re approaching that number.

What do you think? What’s your target price for a bottle of wine these days?

I was reminded of that idea when I reached for this bottle to review and realized it’s a $25 wine. I don’t drink a lot of wine at this price range but every now and then I will. And it does change the mindset. If I buy a bottle of wine for $12 and it kind of sucks it’s no big deal, but if I spend $25 on a bottle and it sucks I’m a bit more disappointed. In fact, I feel like I’ve been had.

My expectations of a wine are a little higher when it tops $20 per bottle — although I’ve had plenty of wine in that price range that have been disappointing and plenty of less expensive wine that has been amazing. The differences of a great bottle can be subtle. I expect the mouthfeel to be a little richer. I expect the wine to be a little more balanced. And perhaps I expect the wine to be a little more concentrated.

This wine certainly delivers on those expectations.

Big cherry aromas and spices abound on the nose of this wine. Nutmeg, coffee, leather and white pepper all come together to give character to the spice notes. The palate is brimming with blackberry, cherry, chocolate and currant flavors. Tannins add a touch of bitter and a touch of silkiness to the mouthfeel. The acidity is good. The finish is long and delicious. This is a sturdy cabernet, delivering what you expect from this variety.

Wine: Marques de Casa Concha, Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet sauvignon
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $25.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.