Casillero del Diablo, Red Blend – Boldness in a bottle

Red blends seem to be all the rage over the past few years for wine lovers on a budget who want red wine with big flavors. By doing a blend, winemakers have more opportunities to shape the wine into something they think will resonate with consumers. Add a little bit of this and a little bit of that until the flavor profile is just right. This strategy is clearly working for a number of winemakers and Casillero del Diablo is one of them.

While the Red Blend is not a new wine for the Casillero del Diablo portfolio, the label on this one appears to be a new presentation. It’s a bold label for a bold wine and it’s sure to stand out on the shelves.

This wine is 70% syrah and 30% cabernet sauvignon. It’s a blend I haven’t come across often, but it works.

The wine is aged in oak barrels, although Casillero del Diablo hasn’t disclosed any information in their marketing materials regarding what type of oak or how much is new versus previously used oak. But based on the bold spices in this wine, I’m guessing there’s a significant amount of new oak.

There’s nothing subtle about this wine. It delivers big fruit and spice aromas on the nose, like black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, nutmeg and leather. The palate is equally in-your-face like a fruit bomb exploding with ripe black cherry, plum and spice flavors. The mouthfeel is nice and there’s enough acidity to make it vibrant. The finish is quite long.

This is not a wine I would call elegant or refined, but it’s a wine I know a lot of people will love. It’s big and bold and leaves nothing to subtlety. If that’s you’re thing, you’ll likely dig this wine.

Wine: Casillero del Diablo, Red Blend 
Variety: 70% syrah, 30% cabernet sauvignon
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $10.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.