'02 Finca El Portillo Cabernet Sauvignon

[Innkeeper]

'02 Bodegas Salentein, Finca El Portillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza ($7.99 Chambers Street). Alcohol level 14%. This one has to be one the very best under $10 Cabs. Since it is from South of the Border, it is four years old, and that is just fine; but it will go another two or three - honastly! It is intensely red to eye. Gives you blackberry and black current jam on the nose and upfront. Nicely complex structure with more fruit, spice, and a hint of mint across the palate, and a lovely finish. Fantastic value. Matched it with Salisbury Steak and salad with B.C. dressing.

Incidently, we got a good bite on our house today; life is good.

[wineguruchgo]

Thanks for the tip on the wine! It sounds great!

Fabulous news on the house! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

[winoweenie]

I'll cross me fat lil' fingers and say an old Indian war chant fer youse and Bev. WW [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

[Innkeeper]

Two bottles tonight with 16 Burgers, salad, peas, and seasame rolls. Ice cream for dessert. What a wine!!!!!! True love took some out of my glass.

[TheEngineer]

Jeez IK....that's quite the appetite you got tonight....I usually stop at four burgers and one.five bottles.

[stevebody]

IK,

Thanks! Putting together the list for opening the new shop and I've been scouring the local distribs' catalogs for good, sub-10 Cabs. I'll run right out and try it.

[Innkeeper]

We had the 2002 Casa Julia, Maipo Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon tonight. Don't have the price, but it was less than the Finca El Portillo (more like $5). It was very nice with burgers and hot dogs, and worth looking for, but no where's near as nice as the other.

[Innkeeper]

Another Finca last night with burgers. This time I had to fight son-in-law as well as true love for contents of bottle. Should have opened two!!!

[Innkeeper]

Ditto last night. Noticed that in Tom Stevenson's "2005 Wine Report" that they mentioned Bodegas Salentein as a "fast improving producer." I'm sure they were talking about their more upscale bottlings; I saw their big brother Cab at a local cheeky place for $16. For now, we'll stick with little bro at half the price.