The purple-colored 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 60/40 is an easy-going effort with black cherry and blackcurrant aromas, plenty of spicy, savory flavor, and good balance. It too can be enjoyed over the next three years. Santa Ema makes reliably excellent wines at fair prices from the bottom to the top of its portfolio.Importer: TGIC Imports, Woodland Hills, CA; Tel: (800) 924-0030

A just-the-facts, bare-bones kind of Cabernet that delivers just enough fruit, balance and finish to make it fully worthwhile as a value special. The nose is complete but not complex, and that’s pretty much the formula here. Flavors of red cherry and raspberry are simple but nice, and the finish is fresh and manageable.——M.S.(9/1/2009)—— 85