Note to wineries: putting the vineyard name(s) on the bottle always makes me more interested in your wine, whether I’ve ever heard of the vineyard(s) or not.

Producer: Hess

Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation: Napa Valley AVA

Vineyard: Allomi Vineyard, a 210-acre estate vineyard at the eastern base of Howell Mountain (though outside of the Howell Mountain AVA)

Vintage: 2006

Winemaking: 18 months in American oak (30% new barrels)

Alcohol: 14.2%

Price: I bought it at about $20 at the supermarket, discounted from around $25-30.

Tasting notes: Currants and spice dominate on the nose, with hints of woodshop and creme brulee. On the palate, it s smooth-textured and weighty with rich, plummy fruit. A slightly minty-cool tingle at the back. A nice bit of tannic structure shows at the end, though this is certainly not a tannic monster Cab.

Overall impression: While it may not blow your mind, I doubt this one will disappoint you if you’re looking for a quality bottle of tasty California Cabernet. B

Free association:

More info:

If you like 90-pt validation, Connoisseurs’ Guide gave it 90 points.

Foodista has selected this humble blog as it’s Featured Wine Blog of the Day today. That’s pretty cool.

If you’re arriving here for the first time from Foodista, welcome. They’re linking to my Mourvèdre Monday #18: Lorca 2006 review, but I hope you’ll check out some other stuff, like Oddball Wine of the Week and the Free Association Mosaic.

Regular readers, if you aren’t familiar with Foodista, check them out. It’s a sort of a wikipedia for food and cooking, but much prettier.

Thanks, Foodista!

VS

Now I know that in general there is better wine available at $10 than at $5. There are some seriously good $10 wines. But I’m more interested in the widely-available, supermarket wines. If you’re picking up a bottle o’ red along with your frozen pizza, can you save $5 and get something of similar quality?  We’ll find out.

If I get tired of the Lincoln price range, this series could quickly morph into Hamilton vs. Jackson! In fact, what do you think? Would you be more interested in Lincoln ($5) vs. Hamilton ($10) or Hamilton ($10) vs. Jackson ($20). Leave a comment. Thanks!

What about the wine? I was very excited to be able to taste eight different bottles from the same grape variety and same region. And, as you’ll see, I came away pretty impressed with what Chile can do with Sauvignon Blanc.

(Note: all wines were provided as samples by Wines of Chile)

Below are my thoughts on each wine:

Wine #1: Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2009 Casablanca Valley ($10.99)

This reasonably priced and widely available bottle is crisp and fresh with a citrusy nose, and palate to match. A touch of minerality, too. C+

Free association:

—

Wine #2: Ventisquero Queulat Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Casablanca Valley ($17.00)

This wine serves up the greener side of Sauvignon Blanc on the nose, with vegetal and grassy aromas, while the palate is very mineral-driven and steely. Very lean (read: little fruit). C

Free association:

—

Wine #3: Underraga T.H. Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Leyda Valley ($15.99 – $16.99)

The T.H. stands for Terroir Hunter, so I love it already. There is an enjoyable green pepper and fresh-cut jalapeno note on the nose of this wine. Then the palate delivers a rounder mouthfeel (perhaps from it’s battonage regime) and a fruitier flavor profile than the first two, with melon predominating. B

Free association:

—

Wine #4: Valdivieso Single Vineyard Wild Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Leyda Valley ($21.99)

There was something amiss with this bottle. Oxidized aromas and flavors. I assumed I got a bad bottle, but most of the other bloggers had similar reactions. After the session, I got a note from the organizers saying there may have been some issues with bottle variation and another bottle would be sent to me. So I will wait until I get a chance to taste that before posting more on this bottle.

—

Wine #5: Santa Rita Medalla Real Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Leyda Valley ($19.99)

A fellow blogger (whose name I have lost) nailed the nose on this bottle as tomato vine. Once he/she made that comment, that’s all I could smell. In the mouth the wine is aggressive with grapefruit flavors and a tart/bitter finish. There’s something a little “beer-y” about it too. B/B-

Free association:

—

Wine #6:  Cono Sur Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2009 San Antonio Valley ($13.00)

After a very closed nose, the Cono Sur attacks your mouth with a laserbeam of limeade and a hint of residual sugar. It feels like it explodes in the mouth. In my notes I wrote, “It’s aliiiiiive!” The slightly bitter backend actually helps resolve the explosive palate presence. Definitely a wine I could see serving at a party. B

Free association:

—

Wine #7: Haras de Pirque ‘Haras Estate’ Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Maipo Valley ($12.00)

My first thought on the nose was herb-roasted chicken skin – and not as a pairing. The subtle, savory nose makes way for a lively palate with tart citrus notes and white peach. A slightly chalky finish. The most Loire-like bottle of the evening and, for me, the best value. Good luck finding an SB with this balance and, dare I say, elegance at $12 from California or France. B/B+

Free association:

—

Wine #8: Casa Silva Cool Coast Paredones Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Colchagua Valley ($22.99)

This wine offers an inviting tart pineapple nose then smashes you over the head with a tangy, zingy tropical palate. Truly vibrant, the fruit is underscored by a rocky minerality that I love. My favorite of the night. B+

Free Association:

—

Overall, I’d buy 4 out of 8 of these wines (and 1 was probably a bad bottle, so 4 out of 7). That’s a damn good ratio, in my book. I don’t know that I could peg a specific style that captures all these wines. Some were closer to the New Zealand style while others were more French or Californian. Either way, I will definitely be paying more attention to Chilean Sauvignon Blanc in the future.

—

Other blogger posts about this event are below. (If I missed yours let me know and I’ll add it.)

DrinkNectar

Under the Grape Tree

WineMcGee

Bottle Report (lots of detail on the wines here)

—

Image credits:
(1) http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakka/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(3) http://www.flickr.com/photos/25904307@N08/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

(5) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dixieroadrash/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Look for wrapup posts for last week’s #SBChile and #TasteTexas events soonl

In the meantime, here’s an episode Gary V. did last year on Mourvèdre:

SELL YOUR COMPUTER BUY A GUITAR.  My first thought was “How would I blog? Could I write songs with tasting notes for lyrics?” (Terrible idea, I know.) Also, I don’t think VINEgeek would make a great band name. Perhaps VINEgeek and The Indigenous Yeasts? VINEgeek and the Dijon Clones? VINEgeek and The Screwcaps?

That got me thinking about wine-related terms that could work as band names. Some starter ideas below. Please add yours in the comments.

Phylloxera – Great name for a metal band, right?

Punchdown – This sounds like an early 2000s post-grunge, “alt”-rock band like Candlebox, Silverchair or Collective Soul.

The Other 46 – This wine blog’s name could work as a band name in the what-the-hell-does-that-mean tradition à la Matchbox 20 or Seven Mary Three.

Noble Rot – Goth-rock à la Evanescence.

Steen – The South African name for Chenin Blanc fits in nicely with the monosyllabic rock band names like Rush, Styx, Yes, Queen, Tool, Korn, etc.

Mataro - Sounds like an indie-rock band from the Midwest.

Frizzante – A new project from John Frusciante?

Fiddletown – This California AVA sounds ike a Charlie Daniels tribute band.

Primitivo – Some world music group (Grupo Primitivo, perhaps?) playing pan flutes and bongos.

I picked this bottle up due to the unusual blend of grapes. Mourvèdre is traditionally blended with Grenache and/or Syrah in France and Australia. Combining it with Zin and Petite Sirah is odd and intriguing. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Spann Vineyards

Grapes: 42% Zinfandel, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Petite Sirah and 8% Syrah

Appellation: The wine is a blend of grapes from a number of different regions so it can only use the general “California” AVA. However, the grapes are sourced from some respected AVAs: The Zin from Dry Creek, Russian River Valley and Mendocino; the Mourvèdre from Russian River; the Petite Sirah from Dry Creek; and the Syrah from Sonoma Valley.

Vineyards: The winery says the various Zinfandel sources are old vines vineyards.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation, then malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. Spent 14 months in French oak, only 10% new.

Alcohol: 14.4%

Price: $18.75 (purchased at Austin Wine Merchant)

My tasting notes: The nose leads with raspberry and creamy oak with Cherry Coke notes. On the palate, the wine serves up very ripe mixed-berry fruit (almost raisiny) in a medium- to full-bodied, low acid framework. I think I can detect the Mourvèdre in a bit of meatiness coming through. Finishes with some black pepper, a bit of tannic presence and a touch of heat.

Overall impression: Despite the inclusion of substantial doses of Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah, the wine comes across to me a bit soft, with a lack of structure. If you don’t like big-boned wines, you might enjoy this wine for the pleasant flavor profile, but honestly, there are lots of cheaper alternatives. C+

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

More info:

1800 cases produced.

Reviews at Cork’d and CellarTracker.

If you like your tasting notes SUPER-SIZED (Now with 50% MORE flavor descriptors!) check this one out. (Good Grape brought this guy to our attention in this recent post and he just so happens to have posted on this wine.)

I thought the name Mo Zin was meant to indicate the blend of Mourvèdre and Zin, but the winery also produces a Mo Jo, which is 50% Sangiovese (sometimes pronounced San-Jo-vay-say), but has no Mourvèdre. Apparently they just like the word Mojo.

• Portugal
• Montsant (Spain)
• Northern Italy
• Washington

I’m sure I’ll be seeking out stuff from these regions this year, but in the end I’ve decided to make Mourvèdre my focus. I’ve been a fan of this grape for a long time and I recently noticed that almost every wine I reviewed on my blog that included Mourvèdre in the blend was a winner. Picking a grape instead of a region will also allow me to include wines from lots of places I love: the Southern Rhône, the old-vines stuff in California, the GSMs of Australia, the Monastrell in Spain. Plus, Bandol and other parts of Provence – areas I’ve not had much experience with.

Now this doesn’t mean VINEgeek will be all Mourvèdre, all the time in 2010. My plan is to start Mourvèdre Mondays in the next couple of weeks. With weekly posts, I’ll make it through 50 or so Mourvèdre wines over the course of the year. That ought to help me get to know this grape better. I hope you’ll join me.

If you have a favorite Mourvèdre-based wine you’d like to see me try, leave a comment.

Wineries: If you have a Mourvèdre-based wine you’d like me to include in Mourvèdre Mondays, see the Sample Policy.