The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva contains 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Carmenere, and 1% Syrah in its blend and spent 14 months in French and American oak. It sports a nose of cedar, tobacco, violets, incense, and black currant. This is followed by a dense, sweetly-fruit, easy-to-understand wine that is a good value meant for drinking over the next 3-4 years. Vina Tarapaca, an arm of the giant San Pedro group, has released an impressive set of wines.Importer: MHW USA, Manhasset, NY; tel. (516) 382-4884

Fairly candied and sweet at first, with marshmallow and vanilla extract as the lead aromas. The palate is very tannic, with excess weight and chunkiness but only basic flavors of generic black fruits, herbs and olive. Tannic as nails on the finish.——M.S.(2/1/2011)—— 84