Wine & Words

La Posta Cocina Blend
The folks at Vine Connections specialize in Argentine wines. They bring us the wines of Susana Balbo, as well as the Luca, Budini and Mapema. Often they would meet grape growers and wine makers at a posta del vinatero or "tavern of the grape grower."  Their La Posta line celebrates these traverns where winemakers "drank wine and spoke passionately for hours about their soils, their vines, and their quest for superior flavors in their grapes."
The Cocina ("kitchen") blend is a an everything but the kitchen sink mix of the best of Mendoza.  It is 60% Malbec, the predominant grape of Mendoza, with 20% each of Syrah and Bonarda (a grape of Italian origin that salutes the "old country" from which many Mendozan winemakers descended).  These are grapes from vines having an average age of 15 years and growing at an average elevation of just over 3,000 feet.  The wine is then aged 10 months in 70% French and 30% American oak barrels.
This is a wine of richness and depth that is made to go with beef, but the layers of fruit and spice make it very adaptable.
Wine Spectator, 89 Pts.       Wine & Spirits, "Best Buy"