VINEgeek

I can’t really find anything about this wine online (and the label is no help either), so I won’t be doing a full post on this one. It’s a very young cab from South Africa — that’s all I know.
Nose is all over the place: chocolate milk one minute, wild berries the next, ashy, “thorny” [...]

Producer:  Bodegas Salentein
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Mendoza (Argentina), Valle de Uco
Vineyards: 100% estate vineyard Finca El Oasis. High elevation (3445 feet).  Alluvial soils. Night harvested.
Aging: 100% stainless steel
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: I paid $8.49
My tasting notes:  The nose is steely, with citrusy aromas. The high elevation, night harvesting and stainless fermentation/aging all lead to a lively crispness in [...]

I’ve really liked this wine in the past and saw it for a good price recently and picked it up. I’m always intrigued by single vineyard Zins (though I don’t think these are particularly old vines). Let’s see what this vintage is like.
Producer: Kenwood Vineyards
Grapes: 100% Zinfandel
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
Vineyard: Jack London Vineyard (on Sonoma Mountain [...]

Portuguese red table wines are a fast-growing category.  I’m drawn to them because of all the indigenous grape varieties that you don’t find elsewhere, like this bottle which is a blend of Baga (the most widely planted red grape in Bairrada) and Touriga Nacional.  Both are small-berried varieties that produce high tannin levels.
Note: the specifications below are from [...]

Old vines…ten bucks…Eric Solomon…you don’t have to twist my arm.  Let’s get into it.
Producer: Altavinum
Grapes: 100% Garnacha
Appellation: Calatayud (D.O.); Northeastern Spain
Vineyards: High altitude vineyards (2400-3000 feet) in the mountainous village of Atea.  Pure slate soils. Old vines “planted up to 100 years ago.”
Aging: tank, no oak
Alcohol: 14.5%
Importer: Eric Solomon
Price: I paid $9.98 at Spec’s in Austin
My [...]

err on the side of drinking early rather than late