Concha y Toro 2018 Serie Riberas Gran Reserva Ribera del Tinguiririca Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, delicious cab; the kind of wine you can serve with quality assurance to accompany a dinner at home or at a BYO resto; also ideal for parties (remember those?), including weddings and such. The grapes are grown in Chile, where the wine is vinified, bottled, and sent on its way. Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez wrote that the wine “has a very harmonious nose and the juiciness of the 2018 vintage. This comes from clay and soils in Marchigüe. The wine has some 13% alcohol and good freshness, quite different from the wines from Maipo. They used a combination of barriques and foudres for the élevage, and the result feels very good.” He gave the wine 90 points (compared to the 89 points awarded to 2018 Napa Valley Acumen at $80/bottle) and advised you should drink it before 2023. Wine Enthusiast’s Michael Schachner dubbed it “a welcoming blend of mild oak and red fruit aromas well executed on the nose and reflective of a great vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon. On the palate, this feels tight and slightly angular and edgy. Lightly oaked plum flavors are herbal in that patented Chilean way and aided by a hint of cinnamon, while this stays lively and balanced across the finish.” He, too, awarded the wine 90 points. How much? Believe it or not, as little as $13.45/bottle. Snap it up!
