deVine Thoughts

Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the 2016 La Playa Tinga Rio Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley, Chile) – $16.99, regularly $21.99.

La Playa (the Beach) is a family-owned winery with sustainable certification producing artfully crafted, estate bottled wines of Chile. TINGA is what the native people of Chile called the loud river that brought life to their land. Today, water from the TINGuiriricA river runs through the vineyards and nourishes specifically selected vines to create the line of Tinga Reserve wines.

Sustainable grapes yield the cleanest and most pure varietals, and there is no use of chemicals. They employ water-saving irrigation practices and use only native yeast strains and no genetically modified organisms.

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon hails from vines of 24 years of age, cropped at 4.0 tons per acre, aged 12 months in French & American oak with a production of 2800 cases.

An intense ruby red colored wine with notes of ripe strawberry and raspberry that is well structured and giving. Drinking well now with volume and well-rounded tannins. Not huge like American wine, but true to the varietal. Enjoy!

2016 La Playa Tinga Rio Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley, Chile) – $16.99 (regularly $21.99)

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Author: Dirk Chan

Our online feature this week is the 2018 Bodega y Vinedos Mi Terruno Expresion Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) – $17.99, regularly $22.49.

The Baigorria family has been involved in Mendoza’s wine industry since 1960; first with the purchase of their own vineyards and later, in 2004, with their own winery. Located in the picturesque town of San Roque, Maipu, the winery was retrofitted from an old glass tile factory – combining new technology with traditional wine making techniques.

In the High Mendoza River Area they have sites in Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu where vineyards are irrigated by the snow melts of the Andes from the Mendoza River. Here the average daily temperature is just 15 degrees C and with a large diurnal temperature change the grapes benefit from a long growing season permitting Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon of fine quality and character. They also have vineyard sites in the Uco Valley where the grapes have a good acidity and produce wines of great freshness with plenty of ageing potential.

Mi Terruño, meaning “my terroir” presents a red of full ruby red color with violet hues. Black raspberry, toasted tobacco, chocolate and violet aromas are perfectly combined with strong dark fruit and elegant tannins. Very good persistence. Ideal to pair with red meats and hard cheeses, extremely good example of the emblematic red variety from Argentina.

Malbec World Day is coming up in a couple of weeks, so enjoy a bottle this month.

2018 Bodega y Vinedos Mi Terruno Expresion Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) – $17.99 (regularly $22.49)

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Author: Dirk Chan

The 2018 Bordeaux vintage is the first of a trio of legendary vintages, with 2019 arriving next year, and 2020 the year after that. Only one other time has Bordeaux had a trio of great vintages – it was 1988, 1989 and 1990. Many of you purchased futures for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio and it will serve you well down the road – what an intriguing theme it will be to taste these 3 vintages in a single evening.. Here is our first release of the high end Grand Cru Classe for your consideration..

Pictured left to right:

2018 Château Marquis d’Alesme (Bordeaux – Margaux, France) – $109.99
2018 Château Berliquet (Bordeaux – St. Emilion, France) – $114.99
2018 Château Pavie Grand Cru Classé A (Bordeaux – St. Emilion, France) – $949.99
2018 Château Feytit-Clinet (Bordeaux – Pomerol, France) – $169.99
2018 Château Giscours (Bordeaux – Margaux, France) – $155.99

2018 Left Bank Wines

2018 Right Bank Wines

Quantities are very limited so purchase early to avoid disappointment.

Happy shopping everyone!!

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