Bodegas Nekeas, Vega Sindoa

[Innkeeper]

2001 Bodegas Nekeas, Vega Sindoa, D.O. Navarra $7.99 Belfast Coop). A splendid Navarra that is 70% tempranillo and 30% merlot. Another great value from Espana. Gives you red cherries and floral bouquet on the nose which translates to your tongue tip. Great structure and smoooooth tannin across the palate, and a lovely finish. Matched with broiled kielbasa, hash browns, and salad. There are a couple of opaque entries on this kind of wine in other places on the board, but to the best of my knowlege is the first complete TN. Have seen it in various places around the country.

[stevebody]

I don't get it: Bodegas Nekeas/Vega Sindoa makes FABULOUS wines, vintage after vintage, and still don't register on most peoples' radar at all. The wine you mentioned is, hands down, my favorite under$6 bottle ever; wine with real character, some complexity, beautiful balance and complusive drinkability. Their O.V. Grenache, "El Chapparal" is GORGEOUS; as good as any Grenache that gets batted around on this forum, including the Alarba, Alma, Etim, etc. It's usually $10.99 and they make a ton. Their Chard is amazingly rich and viscous and judiciously oaked and RIPE, Good Lord is that stuff Ripe!

Their Tempranillo-Cab is only slightly less complete than the Table Red and a freakin' bargain at about $7.

I know their labels have looked kinda tacky in the past, though they've put a cool new one of the Table Red. Maybe that's it. All I know is, that's NOT a low-ambition plonk winery. Those guys know wine and make tons of it.