Cabernet Sauvignon: Las Parcelas 2011 ($10)

"A wash of flavorless acid with an aftertaste."

We had a dinner party a few nights ago! "We" of course means my housemate D and I, because it was in our house; "had a dinner party" of course refers to my boyfriend C, who did 100% of all of the actual prep and cooking. Friends BH and CG were the guests of honor, and we decided that this was a wonderful occasion to try two new wines (which D bought, and for which I have not yet paid him back. Basically, I brought nothing to the table).

First, we tried the Las Parcelas Cabernet Sauvignon 2011. (We later tried the other wine, a Bolla Pinot Grigio 2010, which you can read about here.) It is our very first non-American wine. It is Chilean! Take a moment and pretend to give a fuck. Okay, good, let's move on.

"It tastes like wine to me," said CG, wisely. "Like this is what wine tastes like. Right?"

"It's not bad," said BH. "It's not too sour." He added, "I'm drinking it very mechanically."

So far, so good! Having successfully used my guests as guinea pigs, I felt confident enough to try it myself. Here are my tasting notes:

8:03: I disagree -- I think it's kind of sour! Very flavorful. Reminds me of the first one we ever did. That weird dark concentrated winey flavor. Is that "peat"? Is that "peaty"? What does peat taste like??

8:06: It gets better the more you drink it. Not because you're drunk (this is only the third sip) but just less intense, like you get used to it.

8:07: Nope! It depends if you catch the taste with the front of your taste buds or not.

I voiced this last thought to the company, interrupting BH's and CG's impassioned conversation about the male gaze. "If you hold it in your mouth, you know, it tastes different..." I said, and they looked at me. "Like, not if you gulp it down like college students usually do wine, but like, if you actually like, hold it in your mouth. Swish it around a little. You know."

They tried it. 

"Oh," said BH, making a face.

"It's..." said CG. "It's strong but at the same time a little watery."

"There was an instant," said BH, "where it turned medicinal."

We had found the trick to drinking this wine: Don't let it hit your taste buds! I would strongly advise drinking it as you do hard liquor -- make sure it hits the back of your throat, and avoid the front of your tongue. If you just gulp it down like that, it's cold and clear! But otherwise, it tastes like a wash of flavorless acid with an aftertaste.

"I would buy this," I said.

CG said, "No."

A sidenote: It was SO difficult to find a picture of this wine! Weirdly enough, the only sites that I could find pictures on were all Polish (I think). Draw your own conclusions.

VERDICT: Do not buy.