VINEgeek

This wine always catches my eye on the shelf, with it’s orange label and simple design. I’ve had past vintages and like it pretty well, so let’s see what’s up with the 2008.
Carro Tinto 2008
Producer: Bodega Señorio de Barahonda. They put out 10 or 12 different bottlings of Monastrell or Monastrell blends under the Barahonda, [...]

Producer: Valley of the Moon Winery
Grapes: This is their Bordeaux-style blend, which they call Cuvée de la Luna. 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Appellation: Sonoma County AVA
Vineyards: Various lots were sourced from Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Mountain and other area in the county.
Vintage: 2006
Winemaking: Stainless steel [...]

Gary Vaynerchuk made a stop in Austin recently on his book tour for Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion. In addition to the three book signings he did around town that day, he and Lindsay Ronga organized a Cork’d tasting that night. (Cork’d is the wine social networking site [...]

I was in Spec’s the other day with no real direction to my shopping, just browsing around. I saw the Merlot section and thought “why not?”  I rarely buy Merlot, but I was feeling a bit guilty for not being more open-minded. I saw this bottle with a healthy dollop of Cabernet Franc (and a [...]

Picked this up on a whim at the grocery store for a spaghetti and meat sauce dinner.
Producer: Rocca delle Macie  (pronounced ROH-kah DELL-eh mah-CHEE-ah)
Grapes: 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot
Appellation: Sangiovese di Toscana (IGT)
Vineyards: estate vineyards
Aging: unknown
Alcohol: 13%
Price: $13
My tasting notes:  The first whiff bursts with juicy cherry aromas followed by some leathery notes. Subsequent sniffs [...]

Producer:  Chateau Liversan (Domaines Lapalu)
Grapes:  50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc (that is according to the label; I find different %s in different places online)
Appellation:  Haut-Medoc (AOC), France
Vineyard:  96 acres; gravel limestone on a chalk subsoil acts
Aging: 12 months in oak
Alcohol:  14%
Production:  20,830 cases
Price:  I believe I paid around $15 at Costco.
Tasting Notes: [...]