A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Garnacha, the 2008 Finca la Planeta has a very ripe, ostentatious nose with macerated dark cherries and fresh prune, a charred note more evident on a second bottle. The palate is full-bodied with fine chewy tannins. It is more complex than the nose suggests, with attractive liquorice, raisin and blackberry notes and a fine, slightly grainy texture on the oaky, medicinal finish. This would be better if it dispensed with its sur-maturite on the nose. Drink now-2018. The vines of Celler Pasanau stand at 700-metres altitude along the rocky wall of the Sierra de Montsant. Both the Ceps Nous and El Vell Coster represent outstanding quality irrespective of their price, although the three-hectare Finca La Planeta succumbs towards over-ripeness, and a more mature example was acceptable, rather than totally convincing. Importer: Classical Wines From Spain, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 297-6713; and www.indigowine.com in the UK.