Bodegas Nekeas is the full, proper name of what most of us call Vega Sindoa. Vega Sindoa is actually two family's names that are from the Nekeas Valley from way, way back when. The Vega family and the Sindoa family did that thing so many wineries have done - they stopped selling their fruit and decided to make a go of it as their own winery. The cool thing about the Vegas and the Sindoas was that they stopped ripping out their grenache back when others were removing it to make more money on other varietals.
These guys kept their vines and now, almost 100 years later, they can make a wine as value driven and delicious as "El Chaparral". It's made from 100% 60-100 year old grenache (or garnacha as they say in Spain) vines. Why is this important? Older vines tend to produce less fruit, with more concentration in each bunch which can make for great depth, but not overly dense weight. Essentially, a mid-weight wine perfect for spring, with bright concentrated fruit.
The "El Chapparal" shapes up that way too. It has great fresh red fruitiness, but almost no tannin and a great lush mouthfeel - not heavy or weighty. It would love a chill in the fridge and it could easily handle some grilled skirt steak with a little salsa verde and avocado.
Garnacha "El Chaparral" 2008 $15
