Shades of Africa 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon South Africa

June 30, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 1 Comment

Shades of Africa 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” according to my wife (I read that as sort of green and underbrushy), “grapey” according to my 3-year old. In the mouth it’s pretty rustic, with more funky overripe berries, meaty/gamey flavors and some drying tannins. Overall it’s pretty awkward and it tastes cheap (it was: $9), like if you ordered the house red at an Indian restaurant and they looked at you like “Really?”

Grade: C-/D+

Update: I looked back at the label and found a couple of things I missed before. First, it’s 14.0% a.b.v. Second, it’s from the Western Cape region within South Africa’s “Wine of Origin” system, which apparently is kind of a catch-all appellation that covers the majority of SA vineyards.

Also, I added the photo above. Why do these South African producers (see Sebeka) use such obvious “Africa” imagery in their label designs? You don’t see French producers putting white flags on their bottles. (Sorry – couldn’t resist the joke!)

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Mendoza

June 28, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 5 Comments

FincaElPortillo_SauvBlanc

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 the mouth with good fruit that leans toward the tropical. It has nice, lengthy finish as well.

Score: This has the crispness that I want in an everyday white. Not complex enough to be much more than that. But what can you expect for less than 9 bucks? B-/C+

Free association: Makes me think of lemonade which makes me think of… “Lemonade – that cool refreshing drink” Eddie Murphy on Elvis Presley, from ‘Delirious’ (video)

Fun fact: The Valle de Uco is not named after a river, but a pre-Columbian Indian chief who introduced irrigation to the region. (from the World Atlas of Wine)

Finca El Portillo (photo by jaraya via Panoramio)

Price: 16-20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Zinfandel 2006

June 28, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

Kenwood JackLondon Zin bottle 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 with southeasterly exposure, red volcanic soil)

Aging: 18 months in French and American oak

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: I think I paid around $18

Production: 6,335 cases

My tasting notes: Right off the bat I’m noticing that the color is rather thin for a Zin. Hmm. Not what I expected. On the nose, I get sweet pipe tobacco accenting the red fruit cherry/berry aromas. I’m smelling the alcohol a bit too, which is worrying. In the mouth it feels pretty plush, which isn’t what I expected after seeing the color. Flavors are red fruit, like in the nose, but with an appealing note of fruit skin — like cherry or plum, or even peach maybe. There is a meatiness coming through as well.

Score: All in all, I enjoyed this wine. It took some time to open up — the second glass was much better than the first — but it came through in the end. Not a stop-the-presses value, but a nice bottle. B/B-

Free association: Amy Winehouse (thin and high in alcohol)

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Packaging: It’s a pretty cool-looking bottle. There is no paper label; the image and text is printed right on the bottle. The big wolf-head apparently was Jack London’s bookplate logo for many of his books, including the middle-school classic Call of the Wild. Also on the back there is a cool quote from Jack London writing about this very vineyard land in 1913:

“I ride over my beautiful ranch. Between my legs is a beautiful horse. The air is wine. The grapes on a score of rolling hills are red with autumn flame. Across Sonoma Mountain, wisps of sea fog are stealing. The afternoon sun smolders in the drowsy sky. I have everything to make me glad I am alive…”

Jack London Vineyards (Photo by Lance and Erin via Flickr)

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Quinta do Valdoeiro 2005 Bairrada

June 25, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

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 the bottle labels, but it doesn’t all match up with what’s on the spec sheet from the producer’s website. Most notably, the spec sheet says there is Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Producer: Vinhos Messias — Quinta do Valdoeiro Quinta do Valdoeiro 2005 Bairrada

Grapes: 50% Baga, 50% Touriga Nacional

Appellation: Bairrada (Portugal)

Vineyards: Clay soils

Aging: 6 months in French oak

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: I paid $11.40 at Spec’s in Austin

My Tasting Notes: Good dark color. On the nose, I get lots of cherry and dark fruit notes with a good dose of sweet oak. A couple of times, I catch a Windex-like aroma, but it’s not persistent. It’s pretty juicy in the mouth with the cherry/berry elements carrying through and a bit of a green/herbal aspect sneaking in. Nice tannic grip at the end (those small, thick-skinned grape varieties) and a nicely lingering finish. With the dark fruit and the oak and the tannin, this wine acts a bit like a BIG wine, but it doesn’t feel big and heavy in the mouth. And at 12.5% with good acid, this makes a fine little wine for weeknight fare (like tonight’s stuffed bell peppers).

Grade: I’ll be buying more of this. B

Free association:

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Evodia 2007 Old Vines Garnacha

June 22, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

Old vines…ten bucks…Eric Solomon…you don’t have to twist my arm. Let’s get into it. Label_Evodia2007

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 Tasting Notes: Deep plummy purple with a bit of fuchsia at the edges that seems common with Grenache. Unusual nose. Not a ton of fruit. I mostly pick up a strong maple syrup/antifreeze note. A little mint and stone. With more time in the glass I start to pick up raspberry. In the mouth it is medium-bodied and lively with mashed berry flavors. Maybe a little golden raisin. Very pure and clean. Very little tannins, but good minerality and acid provide structure. Nice, interesting little bottle for ten bucks. The minerality in this is what makes it a winner for me at this price point.

Grade: B

Free association:

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Don’t wait too long

June 19, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

I bought this 1989 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame for a wedding gift, but decided to keep it after deciding it was too expensive of a gift (I paid around $125 as I recall). Saved it for years waiting for the right occasion. Finally opened it and… it was well past it’s prime. Sour and fruitless. Some interesting nuttiness, but not an enjoyable drink.

So deflating. One of the prizes of my cellar and I could hardly finish it.

Lesson: Err on the side of drinking early rather than late. If it’s too young and you really want to try it again in its prime, you can always find it and buy another bottle (though it may cost a pretty penny). But if it’s past its prime, no amount of money will allow you to drink it younger (unless you have a DeLorean and a flux capacitor).

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Monthly Archives: June 2009