Casillero Del Diablo Reserva Merlot 2013

I'm not quite sure how or when this appeared on the wine rack - I didn't buy it and it wasn't a sample, so a gift is the most likely explanation.

Needing a bottle of wine to take along to a garden party for a general audience, I figured it would suffice - hopefully.

It turned out to be basically OK - as in not actively unpleasant - but decidedly chewy and over-extracted, rather like stewed tea.

The hallmark of Merlot generally is that it smells better than it tastes - it tends to be easy-drinking to the point of dullness. Here, it is as if someone had decided to challenge this stereotype by squeezing the grapes until the pips squeak.

Unfortunately, the end result is less Clark Kent and more Diary of a Wimpy Kid on steroids.

Chile can do good, elegant wines - this is just not one of them.

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