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Casillero del Diablo, Devil's Collection Red (Reserva) 2017
RedChile2017
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2019-12-28 · Published 2026-09-16 · Updated 2026-09-16
At a glance
In one line
4.0/5 — higher than Vivino's 3.9 average · world avg price US$15 · A Concha y Toro mass-market label named after the legend of Don Melchor Concha y Toro, who — around 1883 — spread a rumor that the devil lived in his cellar to keep thieves out.
No Vivino-listed critic scores. Empire Wine's in-house reviewer Wilfred Wong scored it 89.
Market note: US$12.95 at US retailer Empire Wine (checked Sept 2026). This 2017 vintage (13,780 ratings) averages 0.1 above the Casillero del Diablo red blend label as a whole across all vintages (48,942 ratings).
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“Full body. Deep black purple. Floral, flowers, balanced, mineral. 시라즈의 풀바디 플로랄향과 맛이 정말 진합니다. 진한 시라즈를 느끼고 싶으시다면 추천합니다. 하지만 맛의 변화무쌍이 있진 않습니다. 진한 초콜릿 수영장을 지나가는 느낌입니다.”
Show original
“Full body. Deep black purple. Floral, flowers, balanced, mineral. 시라즈의 풀바디 플로랄향과 맛이 정말 진합니다. 진한 시라즈를 느끼고 싶으시다면 추천합니다. 하지만 맛의 변화무쌍이 있진 않습니다. 진한 초콜렛 수영장을 지나가는 느낌입니다.”
What I learned today: one devil story can stop thieves and become a name.
Today at Bar Suda I was poured Casillero del Diablo Devil's Collection Red 2017. Minjae held the bottle up first: "This one's my turf." One breath, and a whole evening came back: a Saturday three days before the year's end when I was twenty-one, the kitchen table. Deep floral notes, a stony minerality, and thick chocolate spreading across my mouth. The colour in the glass was almost black-purple. Every aroma is clear; what I don't know is which bottle Father poured that evening with the label covered. What I remember is that he held his glass up to the light and nodded.
Master Seo told me what the aromas say: chocolate and oak are what people who drink this bottle name most (723 times), the mark of oak ageing. Then the story. Around 1883, Don Melchor, founder of Concha y Toro, kept his best wines in a cellar under his house near Santiago. Bottles began to disappear. Instead of adding locks, he spread a rumour: the devil lives in the cellar. The villagers stayed away, and the name stayed: Casillero del Diablo, the Devil's Cellar. Devil's Collection is its Reserva-level line, Syrah at the core with Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère.
Father wrote, in polite Korean: "It feels like passing through a pool of thick chocolate." (translated by Haru) Father writing a note in the polite form! Probably he wrote it as if handing the bottle to someone.
What I learned today: one devil story can stop thieves and become a name.
What this wine is
Around 1883, Concha y Toro founder Don Melchor Concha y Toro built a private cellar beneath his estate near Santiago to hold his finest wines. The trouble was that neighbors learned of the celebrated collection, and bottles started disappearing one by one. Rather than add locks and guards, Don Melchor chose a cheaper, more effective solution: he spread the rumor himself that strange things happened in the cellar at night — that the devil lived there. Superstitious locals stopped coming near, and the wine stayed put.
This isn't just marketing backstory; it's a founding legend that has survived over 140 years. The name Casillero del Diablo literally means "the devil's cellar," and visitor tours at Concha y Toro's Colchagua estate still walk guests through that same cellar today. That one story gave Concha y Toro the name for its mass-market line, and the brand has since become one of the world's best-selling Chilean wine brands — an official Manchester United partner, with actor Pedro Pascal as its global ambassador.
Devil's Collection sits as a Reserva-tier sub-line within Casillero del Diablo, a Shiraz-led blend rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère.
What the world says
The 2017 vintage has 13,780 Vivino ratings averaging 3.9 — slightly above the 3.8 average of the Casillero del Diablo red blend label across all vintages (48,942 ratings). No professional critic scores are listed on Vivino, but US retailer Empire Wine's in-house reviewer Wilfred Wong scored it 89, calling it "devilish dark" and "a smooth drink that doesn't require knowledge to enjoy."
The flavor keywords lean heavily toward chocolate and oak (723 mentions), followed by black fruit — plum, blackberry (554) — and red fruit, mainly cherry (265): a style with an obviously oaky signature. Vivino's structure data (acidity, tannin, etc.) isn't available here due to an insufficient sample.
"Full body blending (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère) is a perfect match with Korean food. Reserva especial means barreled aging over 2 years." — Vivino review, Nov 2021, 4.0 stars
With a recommended drinking window of 2019–2027, this is a casual, hard-to-go-wrong everyday red.
How I drank it
28 December 2019, 4 stars. "Full body. Deep black purple. Floral, flowers, balanced, mineral. The full-bodied floral aroma and flavor of Shiraz are really intense. I'd recommend this if you want to feel a rich Shiraz. But there isn't much variation in the flavor. It feels like walking through a pool of thick chocolate." That same night I also drank a Prunotto Barolo Bussia 2014, and gave both wines 4 stars.
Placed side by side in one evening, the contrast is striking — my Barolo note calls out a Burgundy-Pinot-Noir-like delicacy, while this Casillero note is honest about its lack of variation. Giving both the same score means the reasons were completely different: Bussia earned it through complexity, Devil's Collection through a rich, consistent "pool of chocolate" kind of comfort. My score, 0.1 above the community average of 3.9, shows that on a night when you're not expecting complexity, a wine like this is plenty satisfying on its own terms.
Where this wine shows up
Giving a high score to an expensive wine is easy. This piece does the opposite: only wines with a Wine-Searcher world average under US$20 that I scored 4 or higher (out of 5), ranked by a value index (my score divided by price).
Vivino community data
2017 vintage rating distribution (13780 ratings, average 3.9)
| 5★ | 1399 (10%) | |
| 4★ | 6997 (51%) | |
| 3★ | 4943 (36%) | |
| 2★ | 351 (3%) | |
| 1★ | 90 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 723 | chocolate 216 · oak 216 · vanilla 139 · dark chocolate 58 · tobacco 33 |
| Black fruit | 554 | plum 180 · blackberry 106 · black cherry 79 · blackcurrant 62 · black fruit 36 |
| Red fruit | 265 | cherry 167 · raspberry 38 · red fruit 25 · strawberry 20 · red currant 6 |
| Earth | 149 | smoke 42 · leather 33 · earthy 32 · cocoa 12 · minerals 6 |
| Spice | 110 | pepper 68 · cinnamon 7 · licorice 7 · eucalyptus 6 · rosemary 5 |
| Microbio & dairy | 27 | cheese 18 · cream 5 · oil 3 · banana 1 |
| Vegetal | 26 | tomato 9 · bell pepper 4 · grass 4 · rhubarb 3 · asparagus 2 |
Structure:
Average by vintage (all vintages: 48942 ratings, average 3.8)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.8 | 38 |
| 1981 | 3.8 | 1314 |
| 1982 | 4.1 | 31 |
| 1983 | 3.7 | 46 |
| 1991 | 3.3 | 32 |
| 2000 | 3.6 | 53 |
| 2001 | 3.6 | 33 |
| 2009 | 3.8 | 35 |
| 2010 | 3.7 | 275 |
| 2011 | 3.7 | 204 |
| 2012 | 3.6 | 3298 |
| 2013 | 3.7 | 3733 |
| 2014 | 3.7 | 7226 |
| 2015 | 3.8 | 6139 |
| 2016 | 3.8 | 3709 |
| 2017 | 3.9 | 13780 |
| 2018 | 3.8 | 2406 |
| 2019 | 3.8 | 1116 |
| 2020 | 3.8 | 483 |
| 2021 | 3.8 | 87 |
| 2022 | 3.8 | 111 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Casillero del Diablo Devil's Collection Red 2017?
A Reserva-level red blend (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère) from Chile's Central Valley, made by Concha y Toro. Vivino: 13,780 ratings averaging 3.9. The brand's name comes from founder Don Melchor's legend of spreading a rumor that the devil lived in his cellar, around 1883.
How much does it cost?
World average price: US$15 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026) (Wine-Searcher, to be confirmed). For reference, US retailer Empire Wine sold it for US$12.95 (checked Sept 2026).
What food pairs well with it?
Vivino lists no specific food tags, but reviews often mention spicy bolognese pasta and Korean food. With its strong chocolate-oak profile, it also suits grilled meat and spicy stews.
Is the "devil's cellar" legend real?
It's the founding legend told consistently by Concha y Toro's own brand page and multiple outlets (including Forbes); the exact year (around 1883) varies slightly by source, but the core story — Don Melchor spreading rumors of the devil to stop theft — is consistent across them.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Casillero del Diablo official — The Legend
- Forbes — How A Rumor About The Devil Saved This Chilean Wine
- Empire Wine — Casillero del Diablo Reserva Devil's Collection Red 2017 (critic quote)
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Tasted the same dayPrunotto, Barolo Bussia 2014
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Chile★★★½☆Same producerAlmaviva 2016
Chile · Central Chile★★★★½Similar styleSeña 2012
Chile★★★★½Similar styleMontes, Alpha M 2015
Chile · Central Chile★★★½☆Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
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