Yecla Monastrell 2009. This Spanish red is derived from 100 percent Monastrell grapes sourced from older vines and aged in French oak barriques. It is a purple-hued red and offers up a nose of blackberry, pepper spice and blueberry. Ripe and fruit-forward with flavours of black cherry, chocolate and licorice, this wine is ideal for spicy dishes and Mediterranean seafood.
Beppi sez: 89 points 16 bucks: Too bracing and crisp to be called a crowd-pleaser (acid haters beware), this red will appeal to those with a taste for bone-dry, earthy Spanish bargains. Monastrell is the same as mourvèdre, a tannic grape that delivers astringent backbone. The wine is full-bodied, plummy and herbal.
