These reviews are based on samples provided by the winery or an organization acting on their behalf.

 

 

 

Winery Information  (winery supplied)

The Seeker Wines is a new line of carefully curated wines created for those who love to seek adventure.  Our wanderings yielded five unique varietals– a California Chardonnay, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, French Pinot Noir, Argentine Malbec, and Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, each sourced from top-quality wineries celebrated for their excellence and dedication to sustainable practices and local printing.  Whether roaming far-off lands or exploring Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, The Seeker delights the senses on a global taste journey.  Just glance at the labels and you’ll see mid-19th century flying machines that beckon a bygone era of wonder and mystery that reminds us why exploring the unknown world is all about the journey.

 

The Seeker Wines were created by a family company that called on its 65+ years of experience to source from the best family-owned wineries in the world at an affordable price.  With a dedication to reducing our carbon footprint, The Seeker Wines extends our eco-friendly philosophy from our immediate family to our global family.  So whether by land, sea, or air, take flight with us and seek more information at http://theseekerwines.com

 

 

 

 

All wines have a suggested retail price of $10 to $15.

 

 

 

 

All wines were sampled over most of an evening.  This allowed me to capture each wine when it was at its peak.

 

 

 

 

 

2010 The Seeker Chardonnay

 

 

My comments

The wine is 97% Chardonnay with 3% Gewürztraminer.  The grapes were sourced from cool climate vineyards in California.

 

The wine has 13.8% alcohol and was aged in tank on light lees with no oak.  A small portion under went malolactic fermentation, which adds a bit of creaminess and body to the wine.

 

This wine was produced in a state of the art, family owned winery utilizing solar and water conservation technology.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light yellow to straw color.  The fresh nose features apples, pears, pineapples, lemon zest, minerals, fresh flowers, and spices.  This has medium body with decent acidity.  On the palate, the wine is fairly creamy and rich with the apples and pears upfront and pineapple and spices in the background.  On the backend, the wine turns a bit flat and loses a bit of focus.  On the finish a bit of citrusy acidity attempts to pull the wine back into focus and generally succeeds.  A slight herbal note lingers on the finish that could be useful in pairing the wine with food.  I would serve this well chilled to help preserve the acidity on the backend.  I think this would work well with a cool chicken salad with a bit of tarragon added just before serving.  (85 pts)

 

 

 

2011 The Seeker Sauvignon Blanc

 

 

My comments

The wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc which was sourced from both Marlborough on the south island and Martinborough on the north island.

 

The wine has 12.7% alcohol and was aged 2 months in tank on light lees. After the aging, the lots were blended then gently fined and filtered before bottling.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light, clear, yellowish straw color.  The exotic, unusual, and appealing nose features musk laden apples, mint, lime, white pepper, saline minerality, and orange blossoms.  The wine has light body and features crisp, citrusy acidity.  On the palate the sweet, minty apples and spice get a boost when the lime kicks in.  The finish is fairly long with the saline laced minerals adding nice complexity.  This would be perfect with a relaxing dinner on the patio or deck with some grilled shellfish or a salad.  My vote would be to serve this with a shrimp salad served on a delicate, flaky croissant.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 The Seeker Pinot Noir

 

 

My comments

The wine is 100% Pinot Noir from vineyard sites in Auvergne.  The vineyards are on rich volcanic soils 350-500 meters above sea level.  The vines range in age from 15 to 40 years old.

 

The wine has an alcohol of 13.5% and was aged in tank on light lees with no oak.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light, clear, ruby red color.  The light and fresh nose features cherries, Asian spices, raspberry, and some soft earthiness.  This is medium body, at most, with ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine shows spicy, red fruit with a slowly building earthy element.  The finish is more on the earthy side with the red fruit and spice more in the background.  In my opinion, this was much better with some air.  The wine initially had candied red fruit front and center which was a bit distracting.  With the air the candied elements dissipated allowing the spice and earthiness to come through.  This would work well with chicken and pork dishes and may hold up well to a rich, creamy pasta dish.  My vote would be to give the wine an hour of air and serve with Fettuccine Alfredo with some sliced grilled chicken.   (87 pts)

 

 

 

2011 The Seeker Cabernet Sauvignon

 

 

My comments

The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in both the Maipo and Colchagua Valleys.  The vineyards are 17 years old and planted in clay and alluvial soils.

 

The wine has an alcohol level of 13.5%.  The wine was aged 5 months in 20% new oak.  The oak was 50% American and 50% French.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby color.  The deep and dark nose features cassis, dark roasted coffee beans, smoke, dark chocolate, spices, dried herbs, vanilla, and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium body with fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  The upfront spicy and earthy cassis hits the palate first followed by some nice dark roast coffee and dark chocolate.  On the backend, as the fruit fades the earthiness takes over with a bit of dried herbs.  The finish has decent length but could use a touch more fleshiness.  This would be nice with a pot roast or beef stew.  My vote would be to serve with a medium rare sirloin steak that was seared to a nice charred exterior.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2010 The Seeker Malbec

 

 

My comments

The wine is 85% Malbec with 10% Bonarda and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The vineyards are Agrelo and Vistaflores in Lujan de Cuyo.

 

The wine has 14.5% alcohol and was aged for one year in French oak and a minimum of two months in bottle before release.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  The very open and inviting nose features cherries, blackberries, licorice, Asian spices, earthy underbrush, mocha, and some violets.  This is medium to full bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate the wine leads off with the spicy cherries and berries but the building mocha and earthy elements soon take center stage.  The earthy, dark chocolate flavors continue right through the finish, which has nice length.  This greatly improved with an hour of air, which helped it to add some weight and fill out the finish.  Serve this with something hot off the grill.  My recommendation would be a skirt steak with a bit of fine ground espresso added to the meat before a few minutes on a very hot grill.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

Contact information

 

More information can be found on the winery’s website at http://theseekerwines.com

 

You can follow the winery on Twitter at http://twitter.com/theseekerwines or check them out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theseekerwines

 

 

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!