I wandered down to MacLaren's Wine East (2780 E. Main St., just outside of Bexley, 614-239-1011) and started looking around for a nice but inexpensive red that I had yet to try.

I took home a bottle of an interesting little gem, Rojo Cabernet Sauvignon, from Odfjell Vineyards in Valle del Maipo, Chile. Thanks to a tip from my buddy Lee Ayres, I had been on the lookout for Chilean reds and had managed to try a few. This seemed like a good opportunity to sample another variety from our amigos down south.

Overall, I'm impressed. Not yet a great wine -- the bottle I had was still a bit too young, I think -- but certainly drinkable and well worth the cost. It's a good Cab with medium body. It's a bit more fruity than I was expecting, and has a nice finish. I actually went back a few days later and picked up another bottle.

Officially, the wine scored 84 points in Wine Spectator, showing that it's got some room to improve. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that it ages well and gets even better. I've certainly paid much more for wine I've liked a lot less.

Interestingly, earlier this year in The Wall Street Journal, wine columnists Dorthy J. Gaiter and John Breecher tasted a series of Chilean wines and found a huge difference between the Cabs and the Merlots. They loved the former and liked only one of the latter.

At only $8 per bottle, certainly you can afford to give it a try and to let us know what you think!