2007 Calcu Red Wine, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Carmenere/15% Cabernet Franc/5% Petit Verdot, Chile

Color - Very Dark Red

Nose - Cherry, raspberry, blackberry, currants (red & black), lots of berries, slight leather and tobacco hints

Taste - Right off this wine is very dry and has a LOT of heat from the alcohol! I taste a lot of cherry, then a lot of heat, and almost a fresh, cool mint taste and feeling just before the wine fades. This wine has some quite mild tannins that are almost erased by the heat. It's dry and the cherries start sweet and then move to sour in a the mid-palate. The finish is quite long but very smooth. To be quite honest there is much more going on with this wine in the nose than in the mouth. It's still something different. I can't say if it's "different-good" or "different-bad". But on my second tasting after the bottle had been open but recorked for about 72 hours, this wine has opened up a lot. The heat is lessened and the flavor of cherries and raspberries comes through more. The tobacco hints in the nose are also present in the finish and are quite pleasant. It's much better after having been opened. I'd say open and wait to drink this specimen.

Overall, in my opinion this wine will turn a lot of people off. They'll equate it to Listerine, rubbing alcohol, or vodka. On the one hand I kind of agree, but I really think this is a winner. I'd recommend it and say decant it and aerate it for some time. Make sure you drink it with food and pair it with strong, fatty dishes (steaks, heavy pasta dishes, ribs, etc), or wait until the bottles been open for a few days before drinking it by itself. Don't drink it right after you open it. It's a decent value at 8 dollars. I plan on drinking it again and taking the crazy journey of flavor that it took me on the first time.

Calcu