SOLD OUT! There’s something comforting about a good bottle of Garnacha. It’s a bit like a warm blanket on a cold night in the way that it provides simple comfort and pleasure, and this is a wine that does exactly that and a little bit more.
If you liked the Cercius Cotes du Rhone, I can pretty much guarantee you’re going to like this as well. Rated 90 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and 91 points by Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, the 2012 Vega Sindoa El Chaparral Garnacha Old Vines is our Wine of the Week and it’s a great one to stock up on for sipping on cool nights.
2012 Vega Sindoa El Chaparral Garnacha Old Vines
91 points Stephen Tanzer
SOLD OUT
Bodegas Nekeas was once a cooperative in the far northern section of Navarra, but it is now a privately owned estate winery. The region came upon hard times in the late 20th century due to extreme weather conditions and depressed grape prices. Viticulture almost went extinct and many of the vines were removed, but some of the hardest to reach Garnacha vineyards were left alone for several years. That’s good news for us, as Bodegas Nekeas brought these 100+ year old vineyards back to life to make this super wine.
Winemaker Concha Vecino is the “caring mother” of this wine, and she describes it as the “Pinot Noir of Garnacha” and the only Atlantic-influenced Grenache in the world. We tend to agree with her as the cooler temperatures and the Atlantic influence give this wine a freshness and an elegance rarely encountered in Spanish Garnacha.
The wine possesses a silky, red fruited personality that is akin to Pinot Noir, but it’s definitely fuller bodied and spicier than most Pinots. It’s also got a lot more going on than any under $15 Pinot Noir we’ve ever tried. Aged in new and neutral French oak for six months, it offers up notes of herb and spice-accented cherry, raspberry and red currant leading into a palate of silky, spicy cherry, dark raspberry, licorice, rosemary and thyme
At less than $15 a bottle, we challenge you to find a red wine with this much going on. We just picked up the last 8 cases of this wine from our distributor, and that’s it for the 2012 vintage. Stop by and pick some up, call us at 828.505.8588 or email us and we’ll set some aside for you as long as you pick it up within a week. Cheers and happy drinking and eating!
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville