Palo Alto Reserve

Name: Palo Alto Reserve
Color: Red
Varietal: Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere/Syrah)
Vintage: 2007
Country/State: Chile
Region: Maule Valley
Price: $10
Stars: 4.5 (out of 5)


We both really liked this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, and Syrah from Concha y Toro's Palo Alto label from Chile. In the past, we've had the Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo Carmenere, and I remember enjoying that wine quite a bit, too...This one was highly recommended by various sources, so when I saw it at my local wine shop, I picked up a bottle for $10. The sales guy mentioned that the Palo Alto has been one of their best sellers lately...After drinking it last night, I can see why. The color was dark purple in the glass with a nose of dark fruit and smoky, earthy aromas. The taste was also dark and smoky. It's kind of hard to describe, but there's an earthiness to this wine that was really enjoyable and rather complex for a $10 wine. It's not as fruit forward as most of the red blends we usually drink, but it was a nice change of pace. The body was medium to full with a rich, warm mouthfeel. It is an excellent dry wine with gripping, but tolerable, tannins that softened quite a bit as the wine sat in the glass.

We drank this wine with steaks that were marinated and grilled. It paired quite nicely with the steaks. I would definitely drink this wine again and highly recommend it.