NOTE:
I got this wine form my local merchant who was trying to get rid of some bottles that he was "just sick of looking at!" He thought I would like it as I favor Spanish reds, and at $3.95 I couldn't say no, but maybe I should have!
ON THE NOSE:
Sweet perfumey dust covering some fruit as, once again, Aunt Mabel is here masking her muskiness with cheap perfume, pretending it's OK, but, you know, it's NOT OK, because maybe there's something real in here, but damned if I can tell! After opening some the fruit shoots hints at you, but never actually sees the light of day. This nose is cheap and fake. It is no wonder to me that my local merchant offered this bottle to me for $4 just to get rid of it! Maybe the palate has something more to offer than the nose ... let's hope so ...
ON THE PALATE:
No lack of acidity on this one, which may come from the large proportion of Monastrell (Mourvèdre), though I know this grape as relatively tannic, so ... ??? Hmmm! Perhaps the grapes were not ripe when harvested? This is a medium-bodied wine with a very fake sweetness that makes me wonder ... I fear that the thoughts I had on the nose were accurate and telling. The attack is very watery at first but quickly opens up to a nice dry mouthfeel that, again, is not deficient in acidity, but balanced now by the dry tannins. The finish lingers for twenty seconds or so and dries to a sweet-tart taste and feel, with the fruit making a final attempt at flying its flag, but in vain. There IS fruit here, but the fake sweetness and perfume is just too much, just like our dear Aunt Mabel, because you just KNOW she's hiding something, and in this wine what is probably being masked are some inferiorities. There is a cardboard taste that intrigues, but even here it is dominated by sweetness. Where does this sweet taste come from?
This wine cannot be recommended to anyone. I've read good reviews out there, but I don't know what they were tasting, because it can't possibly be this particular wine, it just can't be! At a regular price of $11-$12 this wine is a very major pass; hell, at $3.95 it's STILL a major pass. And that, is that!
(Click here for an explanation of our ratings ...)
Our Rating: 69
Would we drink it again? 
No way!
Would we buy it again?
Not even at $1!
