I may have mentioned before: I'm moving.
At some point.
I don't know exactly when yet, and right now there's no particular where in the offing.
Stressful? Not at all.
But I've had to accept certain realities, chief among them that anything I bring into my current house I will need to pay someone to take out of it.
Including my roughly ~100 bottle collection of wine. (Built up since about 2017, for you comedians in the back.)
That means that the enticing email I got from Turley Wine Cellars about their spring mailing list offering had to be deleted. *wibble* I loved the wines I bought from them last year, but it's just too complicated to organize ordering right now.
So I'll be diving deep into my existing cellar and sharing that with you, rather than go out and buy more. (Wine club commitments notwithstanding.)
First up is 2018 A Los Vinateros Bravos Cinsault, from the Itata Valley in Chile! It's roughly 2 degrees out and snow in the forecast where I am now, so the thought of sunny Chile warms me up a bit. According to this article, the first vines were planted in this valley sometime in the 1550's! Cinsault originated in the south of France, where it's still used as a blending grape in Chateauneauf du Pape and in Languedoc Roussillon.
This particular cinsault's light body surprised me. Its dark cherry color fooled me into thinking it'd be a bit heftier. It's pleasantly raspberry on the palate. Almost no tannins and medium on acidity. I had a bit of a tough time trying to think of a pairing, but honestly would make a great aperitif or sipper while you're making dinner. I paid about $16 for it in April 2020. If you can get for that or better, definitely go for it.
So one bottle down, 99 or so to go. Not all this week, no worries there.
Keep in touch, and let me know what bottles you find in the back of your closet.