The 2009 Winemaker's Lot Red Blend is made up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Carmenere, and 20% Syrah aged for 8 months in seasoned French and American oak. Notions of toast, smoke, violets, meat, and assorted black fruits lead to a ripe, spicy, easy-drinking wine. This lengthy effort is a very good value meant for drinking over the next 2-3 years. Cocha y Toro is the largest wine producer in Chile as the above list attests. Remarkably, they are also one of the quality leaders and innovators leading the country forward. The Gran Reserva Serie are wines made from a single vineyard meant to display a particular terroir. The Marques de Casa Concha wines are also sourced from single vineyards but exposed to more new oak and a longer elevage. Some of the finest wines produced in Chile, particularly from the Carmenere grape, are being bottled and sold under the Terrunyo label under the direction of veteran winemaker Ignacio Recabarren.Importer: Banfi Vintners, Old Brookville, NY; tel. (516) 626-9200

The deep crimson-colored 2006 Winemaker’s Lot is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere, and 10% Syrah. Spice box, blackcurrant, plum, and blueberry make for an alluring perfume. Round, toasty, ripe, and sweet on the palate, this plush, extroverted wine over-delivers for its modest price. Drink it over the next five years. Concha y Toro is Chile’s largest winery in volume and, remarkably given its size, one of its finest in overall quality. However, the entry level Casillero del Diablo range had more misses than hits. The Trio Series is made by one of Chile’s most renowned winemakers, Ignacio Recabarren, who is also responsible for the other-worldly Terrunyo Carmenere Carmin de Peumo. The Trio wines rank with the greatest wine bargains on the planet.Importer: Banfi Vintners, Old Brookville, NY; Tel: (800) 635-6511