Medalla Real Santa Rita 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon

This special reserve is from the famous wine making Maipo Valley in Chile. I was convinced it was a $9 special until I saw the $14 notation on the back label.

On the first night, overwhelming tannins made me set the glass down for about 30 min - a definite decater. Once it mellowed out, I was still unhappy with a slight black licorice flavor on the finish - a taste I never acquired in life (despite a short Sambuca obsession).

The good news is the bottle is still good on night three, where more of the vanilla finish comes out. The black licorice is still there, unfortunately. It's certainly a full-bodied wine with strong tannis and a dry finish as you'd expect of a decent cabernet.

This $14 Costco wine is not on on my re-purchase list. I'll give the Santa Rita cab a 3 out of 10 with a "move along, nothing to see here" rating.