The Seeker, Wines From Around the World

Have you heard of the wine brand called "The Seeker"? I was sent samples of a few of their wines recently, and looked forward to evaluating them. This brand is seeming to grow in popularity with each month, and their Facebook and Twitter presence could certainly be emulated by others. Whomever manages the social media account does a good job engaging with the fan base, responding to comments, and creating discussion.

The Seeker, as far as I can gather, is another one of those made-up brands. Kobrand acts as negotiant, marketer, and distributor. They have sourced wine from all over the world to create five wines, with the featured three plus a sauvignon blanc and a pinot noir.

Each wine has a character to go along with it, and the story of each revolves around flying machines somewhere in the world. It's a bit cheesy, but still fun to read through each story. Therefore, we can't exactly say this brand has heritage or the authenticity that goes with heritage, but we can say some thought was put into the development. Ever the skeptic, I looked forward to tasting the wines but was wary of the "manufactured-brand effect", where someone comes along, starts a brand with a catchy, hip story, and tries to market the product (which may or may not be of good quality) to us Millennials. Keep reading to see if any thought was put into the actual wines.

2010 The Seeker Chardonnay California: Straightforward bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits along with a touch of butter (diacetyl). On the palate it's clean and smooth with balanced acidity that highlights flavors of lemon zest and tropical fruit. Some creamy, buttery notes are present as well, lending contrast to the acidity. The finish is nice and straightforward, gently tapering away after a few seconds. Serve chilled to enhance the acidity and citrus flavors, for as this wine warms up it becomes more buttery. 13.8% abv. $11 retail.

2009 The Seeker Malbec Mendoza Argentina: Lots of black and red fruit on the nose, also some peppery spice and a touch of alcoholic burn. Still, it's got more than your typical Argentine "blackberry/blueberry jam" nose, and that's to be commended. I liked the impressive tannic backbone which worked to keep the ripe fruit flavors in line, drying the palate out nicely. Also found were secondary flavors of char, black pepper, and earth. A medium length finish full of drying tannin and ripe black cherry flavors is the nice ending touch for this tasty malbec. Stainless steel tanks held the wine during fermentation before it spent a year in French barrels. 14.5% abv. $11 retail.

2010 The Seeker Cabernet Sauvignon Chile: Fruit is sourced from Colchagua and Maipo Valleys in Chile. The nose is typically Chilean, with some green pepper notes, plums, black pepper, and black currant. Soft and inviting on the palate, it showcases ripe blackberry and currant flavors surrounded by nicely integrated tannin. Secondary flavors of tar, tobacco leaf, and dark earth emerge after the wine gets some air. The finish is clean and simple, ending with drying tannin and dusty soil flavors. For an inexpensive cabernet, this is a solid bottle of wine. Aged in French and American barrels for five months. 13.5% abv. $11 retail.




Each of these wines, considering the price, is drinking very well. They certainly won't blow you away in terms of complexity and aren't worth aging, but for $11 a bottle you're getting wines that express a sense of place and varietal typicity. If I had bought them, I'd have no regrets whatsoever. My advice, buy a bottle of each, let the reds open up a bit and keep that chardonnay nice and cold. Serve them during the summer barbecues or casual nights with your buddies.

You fan find The Seeker Wines on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

These wines were media samples for review purposes.

Beau Carufel