The nose is almost meaty, with plum and strawberry notes. A bit of toffee and earth round this out nicely. There is a slight texture there in the mouth, balanced out with some good acid. The palate has a tangy red apple note to it, with some light plum juice and earthiness. Savoury and very drinkable, with or without food this is a winner for $14. It’s under screwcap too. How can you go wrong? 88 Pts.

This is straight monastrell from older vines (whatever that means) that has a swim in new french and american oak for 6 months. The 6 months in oak thing actually works here.  I find that more often than not, such a short time in new oak makes a very oaky beast.

Nuts, figs, flint and sage are the main impressions from the nose. A bit of vanilla and smoke after a while in the glass. Warm and inviting, and a bit flabby around the middle. Its easy to drink but there is just enough structure to keep my interest. A big lick of fig and minerals on the palate, some Black Forest cake and a little funky animal. Convincing. 89 Pts.

Source: Broadway Liquor Distributors Price: $24 Closure: Conventional Cork

I’m amazed that this wine is still $14, given all the movements in currency etc that have gone on over the past year. With exchange rates getting back towards the levels they were at 18 months ago (sitting around .57-.58 Aussie to a Euro), things are looking up and hopefully keeping any large price increases at bay.  Anyway, I had a bit of a revelation with the classic description for Monastrell about a year ago. While eating a plate of ripe figs, I thought:  ‘Hey this tastes like Monastrell’. I think fig and wild gamey notes are the primary flavours in monastrell from these southern regions of Spain.

On the nose, those earthy fig and plum notes dominate as the wine opens up, then some gamey, wild animal notes leading on to some cherry, some herbs  and a wiff of honey. As is usual, its medium bodied with light tannins and a long finish. More of that fig and plum on the palate, some minerals and earthy herbs as well. One of the great things about this wine is the consistency, each year looks very similar and getting a textbook quality wine at this price is rare. 89 Pts.

This is fairly much textbook monastrell: figs and dark cherry, a little toasty wood, chocolate and earthy spice. Very much open for business on the palate, open weave and well rounded. Drinking well now, but it will hand around for quite a while. The acid is a little on the low side, but that big bold fruit makes a statement all of its own. Sunny, but savoury and food friendly.  88 Pts.

Source: Negociants Australia RRP: $24 Closure: Conventional Cork

The nose is full of cherry bubblegum, figs and blueberries, a touch of hot cinnamon and wood smoke.  Fresh and juicy in the mouth, plenty of fruit but it remains savory. Open and round, its easy to drink with just a touch of acid to keep things moving. Fig and plum in the mouth, some earthy spice. A tangy finish. Get the BBQ out while its still warm enough to enjoy and a grab a bottle of this with some pork chops. 87 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $19.50 Closure: Conventional Cork

Lovely nose of earthy blood plums, fresh figs and dark cherries, a touch of violet and gamey animal notes. It really saturates your palate with rich flavours of fig, plum, red cherry with a little spice and honey, but remains in balance and there is plenty of acid and tannin to keep things clean and fresh. When I read that back to myself it sounds like it should be a big thick wine (I think its the figs and honey comments) but its medium boddied and fresh.  I finishes up with a smooth minerally tang. Amazingly, this wine doesn’t seem to have gone up in price for 3 years, yet the quality seems increase every year. 92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $40 Closure: Conventional Cork

Other Vintages: 2004, 2003, 2002,

A very classic Monastrell nose of earthy, animally plum and cherry, with a touch of honey and spice. In the mouth there is a rustic feel to it, the tannins and well defined and soft with a longish finish. Well balanced and fresh, with plenty of fruit, the palate shows more plum and cherry, herby undergrowth and black pepper, ink and gamey highlights. Maybe it was the food, but this looks more complete than the 2005. Still a hands down bargain. 89 Pts.

Estio made from 70% Monastrell with a bit Tempranillo and Syrah.

Bright red/pink in colour, it’s quite a striking colour. The nose is up front and straight forward: strawberry and a touch of soft plum, a bit of wild herbs. It’s quite juicy and fresh with some crunchy acid. Plenty to like on the palate, strawberry and raspberry fruit with some minerals and earthy herbs. Great drinking at this price. 87 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $19 Closure: Conventional Cork

 I ventured out to the Forum last night to see Supergrass. I’ve been a fan for a long time, in fact I Should Coco would be in my all time, top 5 albums. The lads are in top form (apart from Gaz’ amp playing up) and the new tracks are excellent live. I think they played half of I shoud coco, so I came home a very happy man. We had a glass of this before heading off to the gig.

Dominio Espinal is made from monastrell in the highlands in Yecla. This is very similar to the 2005 I tasted last year, consistency in a rose is always a good thing. You don’t want to think too much about it when you grab it from the fridge.

I love the colour of this wine, it doesn’t come out well in the jpeg (bloody photoshop!) but it’s a bright red.   The nose if full of red cherry and strawberry with toffee apple and an earthy/gamey note. Some of the descriptors here will sound sweet, the wine is very much in the dry rose spectrum with sweet fruit and candy aromas and flavors.  It’s well balanced with a little grip, which I like in rosado. It’s very tight when chilled, but let it warm up and it’s got a broad textured feel which is where the sweet spot is. Light cherry and apple in the mouth, I can’t seem to get the Toffee Apple character out of my head with this wine.   A long finish with tangy apple skin. Very good for days when you don’t want something too cold (like now in Melbourne) 88 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price:  Around $18 Closure: Synthetic Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Other Vintages: 2005

Raspay Reserva is 100% monastrell from old, low yielding vines that spends a lot of time in old oak. The methods used are very traditional and this leaves the wine with a distinct old world character. I like to think of this wine as an old bloke who was always a snappy dresser and he’s still got it going on well into his 60s.

Updates will be a little slow for the next week or so, my home machine had it’s hardrive crash last week so it will take me a few days to get everything back in order. I’ve lost a few things, like price lists, so a few minor details will be missing for a bit. I’ll try to post a few things at work in between my regular game of schedule chicken (aka death by meeting)…

A really enticing nose of squashed ants, violets and roses, cherry and plum with a rustic earthy quality. Fine and soft tannins with very good balance and length. The palate shows pen ink, blackberry and plum, herby undergrowth and a little tar. Reliable and friendly, stylish but rustic. This isn’t just for the traditionalists, it’s a very reliable wine that just about everyone will get into. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: ???  Closure: Cork

Web: www.primitivoquiles.com

Intense aromas of molasses, old coffee, wooden furniture, dried fruit, walnuts and spice cake on the nose. There is a little thickness in the mouth, but the overwhelming sense is that of smoothness. There is a little sweetness, but you could never call this a dessert wine. In the mouth, it fairly much mirrors the nose with a slightly bitter, nutty finish. This just keeps going, I could taste it minutes after taking my last sip. It’s hard to give something like this a score, but its at least 95+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: ???  Closure: Cork

Web: www.primitivoquiles.com

It’s a traditional style from Alicante made from Monastrell in a solera style environment. In this case the solera is one big barrel. The history of this style goes way back, it was well known back in the 1600s all around Europe and was the drink of choice for the nobility. I read somewhere that there are only 3 producers left making this style of wine, I’m not sure it’s that low but it is hardly a commercial production.

This one is the ‘baby’ in the family, the solera was started in 1948. The colour is of deep mahogany with an orange tint towards the edge. Intense and character filled nose with sweet raisins, a kind of peaty note, old wood all reinforced by a spirity alcohol note. Not that sweet in the mouth actually, it’s clean and bright with nuts, raisins, a little honey and fine tannins. Its kind of like madeira more than sherry, an intriguing wine that would be a hit in many of the fine dining restaurants around town. 92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: ???  Closure: Cork

The nose is quality monastrell: juicy plum, blue berry and honey with the trademark animal notes, a little dark cherry and nutmeg. Soft and rounded, but a few firm edges give interest as do the dusty tannins that are light and fluffy. It starts off all blueberry and violets on the palate, with some blackberry and plum with a touch of raisin. A bit of chewing tobacco too. Highly enjoyable, this one classy monastrell. Good value too. 91 Pts.

Source: Ce Soir Imports Price: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.salvadorpoveda.com

I've saved the best of these Toscar wines as the last post in the set. Before I tasted these 4, I wondered if the wine that the region is best known for, Monastrell, would come out on top. And it did. There is a bit more character with this wine, and if there is one thing I like in a wine, its personality and character. Many of the cheaper monastrells around can be a bit odd, but this is a good, honest wine that shows that a Monastrell that drinks well doesn't have to cost over $20.

As soon as I opened the bottle I could smell the earthy, dark cherry and plum and this built further in the glass show the classic wild animal and a touch of honey. Rustic and friendly, but quiet mouthfilling with bold flavours. Lush, chunky fruit tannin and a touch of acid adds real interest while the palate shows savoury plums, hot cinnamon, and some pen ink. A wine with true personality and rustic charm that is pleasure to drink with good Mediterranean style food. At $20 this would be a bargain, at $14 you'd fell like you've stolen it. 88 Pts.

Source: Ce Soir Imports Price: $14 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.salvadorpoveda.com

Anyway, this is clearly the benchmark Monastrell.  A big call as we only have a dozen or so wines available in Australia, but there you go.  High altitude, old vines, careful oak treatment and smart winemaking all add up to a top end wine.  I'd like to try this against some the top end French mourvedre based wines, I think the quality here would shine though.

A nice cherry red at the edge of the glass, a bit darker towards the centre.  An expressive and rich nose of cherry, mulberry, anise/clove,  pepper, a bit of toasty wood and musk that is really enticing.  The approach is very burgundian, elegant, smooth and supple with attention to detail in all the right places.  Foggy, smooth tannins, great balance and just the right level of acid.  Tart cherry, mulberry and plum with sage and minerals.  Very long finish.  Excellent stuff. 95 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $65 Closure: Conventional Cork

Other vintages: 2003