WAY too cold

N: Toasty, buttery (?)

P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.) offset by an acidity which keeps things in check into & through the LONG, tangy/swt finish with OCCASIONAL *glimpses* of a very, VERY slight bitterness. For now & into LATE Winter '21. 12.5% ABV; My VG/VG+, the higher for QPR? [This vendor's $6.99 is $1 < than wine-searcher's only CURRENT posting.]

WAY too cold

“From blocks with predominantly shale & granite soils in Swartland. The dry farmed, unirrigated bush vines ave 40 yrs of age, are 656 ft asl, & are set in soils of decomposed granite. Harvest was carried out completely by hand. Grapes were whole bunch pressed & only natural, wild yeasts were used throughout the winemaking process. Fermentation & aging took place for 9 mos on its fine lees in s/s (40%), wooden tank (40%), & 500 L new & 2nd fill FR oak barrels. 13% ABV, 3g/l R.S., 5.4 g/l T.A., & 3.4 pH;” 2,200 cases imported.

N: Closed; Peaches with hints of toast?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by an acidity which transitions into a LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish with a HINT of very, VERY slight bitterness that, at least now, could well be a + with food. Might work both as a quaff & with lighter fare into '21. My VG+; 90 pts WS (Zecevic, 10/31/19), a “Smart Buy,” & #65/Top 100 for ’19 @ $16. [This vendor's $9.99 puts it @ the top of wine-searcher's listings.]

WAY too cold

"A blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Marsanne."

N: Almost pungent butter/toast with a DISTINCTLY floral component

P: Med body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish OAK/frt met by a crisp acidity which takes charge into & through the LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish with the BAREST hint of very, VERY slight bitterness which is NOT an issue now, particularly (I suspect) with food. Nonetheless, I'd drink this by mid '21 to avoid potential problems with the bitterness spiking over time. My VG+/EXC- for its interestingly "different" slant on a wht blend. [I saw no other source for the WHITE Cosmo with which to compare this vendor's $16.99.]

“Harvested 4/8/13; Aged 10 mos in 100% FR oak barrels; 967 cases produced.”

N: A slightly creamy overlay to ripe, wild straws

P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which morps into a LONG, slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the relatively few, firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, the bitterness being a distractor for me. 13.9% ABV; My VG/VG+, the higher arguably for the QPR of a decently varietal P.N. 91 pts Suckling; [This vendor's $9.99 compares VERY favorably with the winery itself!]

Note: This taste was basically PnP, whereas today's other tasting probably had a good 60 min in a small tasting glass. While I can't say for certain that explains the differeing impressions, it's @ least a STARTING point... ;)

“The Merlot harvest commenced in the last wk of Feb, which is right on average, & proceeded for the next month in almost perfect conditions. Fermentation was carried out in a combination of static & rotary s/s fermenters under warm temp conditions for a period of 6 days. This creates balance between extracting the appropriate tannins for wine structure, and retaining fruit drive and aromatics in the final blend. The wine is stored in s/s @ 6°C post fermentation to retain natural colour & aromatics of the variety. 5.3 g/L T.A. & 3.65 pH;”

N: RIPE berries with earth & toast (?)

P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with OCCASIONAL *hints* of a very, VERY slight bitterness & a tangy/swtness (45:55) to the DUSTY tannins. Might work now with food, should improve somewhat through '20, then drink through '23. A pleasant enough, relatively unchallenging wine @ a bargain price. 13.5% ABV; My VG+/EXC-, easily the higher IF one considers the QPR of this vendor's $6.99, which matches the lower of wine-searcher's 2 skewed postings. 88 pts Suckling (7/’19)

“89% Carmenere, 7% Syrah, & 4% C.S. from vines 22 yrs old grown in the Maipo & Maule Valleys of the Central Valley; Harvested late Mar & early Apr from 23° Brix; The grapes were picked & the bunches destemmed, but not crushed. The whole berries then underwent a cold maceration @ 14° C for 4-6 days prior to fermentation in 40.000 L tanks using selected & native yeasts, ff’d by a 10 day post-fermentation maceration @ 25° C. Malolactic fermentation took place spontaneously in tanks. 100% aged in s/s tanks. Bottled Jan ’19;”

N: Almost off putting, & while tough to parse™, this struck me as a melding of asparagus & barnyard. :( ™At least 1 other taster mentioned a rubber-like component

P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it morphs into a LONG, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with notes of swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. NEEDS 12-18 mos for the acidity to calm down, but for me the aromas are a non sequitur. :( 14.0% ABV; My G+ (82,83/100 using that metric), which is probably even charitable -- unless this was a flawed bottle?™™ Almost unbelievably, 93 pts Suckling. [This vendor's $8.99 is $1 < wine-searcher's lowest.]

™™NO one I overheard (including 1 staff member) *indicated* he or she felt this was an off/flawed bottle.

However... [Addendum]: I today [1/25/20] learned that a couple, who routinely taste @ this shop, mistakenly purchased a bottle of this, thinking they'd purchased something else. To their surprise any initial unpleasantness quickly blew off, & they enjoyed their bottle. Therefore, PERHAPS my TN of 1/18/20 was in FACT of a flawed bottle.

“100% Malbec from their own gravel & sandy soil vyds in Tupungato, Alto Gualtallary, by the foothills of the Andes @ 4,000 ft elev; Manual harvest between the end of Mar & beginning of Apr; Fermentation with selected yeast @ a max temp of 27°C for 12 days; 14% ABV, 2.6 g/l R.S., 5.1 g/l T.A., & 3.75 pH;” 71,158 cases produced, 24,793 cases imported.

N: Cherries with notes of vanilla & earth

P: LM, poss Med, body; NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it works its way into & through the LONG finish with a tangy/swtness to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS 15-24 mos, then drinking into '25? My VG+/EXC-, *very* arguably the higher for QPR. 91 pts Tim Atkin (2/1/19?), 90 Suckling, 89 pts ea winealign.com (11/’18) & WE (10/1/19) + #17/Top 100 ’19 Best Buys @ $13, and 88 WS (12/31/18). [This vendor's $8.99 puts it in the top 30% of wine-searcher's postings.]

“50% ea Malbec & Syrah from vines ave 18 yrs of age & planted in sandy/calcareous soils @ 3,700 ft elev; 15 day fermentation in concrete tank using native yeasts; Aged 6 months in Concrete Egg; Light cartridge filtration; 13.8% ABV;”

N: BRIGHT black cherries

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.) met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED finish with an enticing tangy/swtness to the firming, but fairly innocuous, dusty tannins. For now with food, could well improve through '20, then drink through '23. Nicely done in a flirting with R.S. style that might even be of interest to those who PREFER drier. My EXC-, & I'd certainly "get" EXC based upon QPR. 91 pts Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19). [This vendor's $9.99 is $2 < the lowest of wine-searcher's 3 current postings.]

“100% C.F. (vines up to 40 yrs old) from Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza @ 1,100 m asl; Made with grapes harvested during the first wk of Apr; Fermented with native yeasts in concrete vats filled by gravity; Skin maceration for 20 days; Complete malolactic fermentation; Aging in 2,500l foudres; 14.0% ABV;”

N: RIPE berries slightly atop forest floor

P: LM body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG finish with dusty tannins & hints of impending swtness. NEEDS through '21, then drinking into '25. My EXC-, but certainly with the potential for > eventually. 93 pts ea Tim Atkin (2/1/19?) & Suckling. [This vendor's $15.99 puts it in the middle of wine-searcher's currently 3 postings.]

“100% Malbec from the ff’ing Vyds of differing terroir & alt: 60% Colomé @ 2,300 m elev, 25% El Arenal @ 2,700 m, 5% La Brava @ 1,700 m, & 10% Altura Máxima (1 of the highest vyds in the world @ 3,111 m); Harvested Mar – Apr ’17; Aged 15 mos in 2nd – 5th use FR oak barrels & 6 mos in bottle; 14.9% ABV, 2.7 g/l R.S., 5.7 g/l T.A., & 3.7 pH;”

N: Init barnyrd which pretty much blows off to pyrazines atop ripe berries

P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST stish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it works its way into & through the LONG, balanced finish with a potential elegance to its dusty tannins. NEEDS through '21, then drinking through '25. Nicely done! My EXC-, higher down the line? 93 pts Tim Atkin (2/1/19?), 92 ea Suckling,Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19), & ’19 Decanter World Wine Awards, 91 WA (10/31/19), and 90 WS (Marcus). [This vendor's $22.99 puts it towards the top of the bottom 1/2 of wine-searcher's listings.]