Maquis, Colchagua Valley (Chile) 2008

 This is a remarkable wine at its best (a former “Wine of the Year” for me on Wine Review Online), and the newly-released 2008 vintage is certainly among the best ever released.  Comprised of 25% Carmenère, 25% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot and 15% Malbec, it is packed with complex aromas and flavors, but never seems over-ripe or excessive.  Dark toned fruit shows excellent concentration as well as bracing from plenty of fine-grained tannin, with appealing topnotes of cedar and dried herbs that proudly announce the wine’s Chilean origins.  Capable of improving for at least another 5 years, this puts many $50 reds to shame.