I tasted this wine as part of a six-pack that my friend Noel Young offered to customers who wanted to support the winemakers of Valencia after the terrible floods last year. And I loved it. 聽It comes from a small 2.6-hectare vineyard called Lloma Rasa, which benefits from being at 550 metres. Made entirely 聽with Monastrell, the best local red grape, it has hints of clove and tobacco leaf from partial whole bunch fermentation, 聽flavours of wild thyme, fennel and rosemary, savoury tannins and a core of plum, strawberry and redcurrant fruit. Quintessentially Mediterranean.
Red Varietal: Monastrell
2021 Pepe Mendoza Mares de Luz Monastrell/Gir贸, Alicante
( 拢9.95, 14%, The Wine Society )Pepe Mendoza is Alicante’s most celebrated winemaker, well known for the quality of his reds and whites as well as their outstanding value for money. This lightly wooded cuv茅e marries equal amounts of Monastrell and the rare Gir贸 grape and is a charming, enticing delight. Aromas of rose petal and Turkish Delight segue into a palate that’s savoury and spicy, all white pepper, thyme and summer berries and a nip of tannin.
2021 Bodega Cerr贸n Stratum Wines Matas Altas, Jumilla
( 拢15.97, 14%, The Great Wine Co )Located in Jumilla of all places, Bodega Cerr贸n is one of my discoveries of 2023. Everything they make is worth buying, but this is arguably their best value red. Made from Monastrell with a 10% field blend of Blanquilla, Bobal, Forcallat and Moravia Agria, it’s a wonderfully vibrant, energetic cuv茅e from two of the best young winemakers in Spain. Fermented with 15% whole clusters, Matas Altas hails from limestone soils in the high-altitude Fuente-脕lamo area and is fresh, focused and stony, with plum and bramble fruit and undertones of clove and white pepper.
2019 Pepe Mendoza Mares de Luz Monastrell Monastrell/Gir贸, Alicante
( 拢9.75, 14%, The Wine Society )I have to admit that I did a double take after I’d sampled this wine. 拢9.75 for something as complex as Pepe Mendoza’s equal blend of Monastrell and Gir贸? The Wine Society must have made a typo, surely? But that is indeed the price of his stunning cuv茅e. Somewhere between a northern Rh么ne Syrah and a high-altitude Spanish Garnacha in style, despite being produced next to the Mediterranean, it’s peppery, spicy and intense, with a hint of oak, wonderful red berry zip and freshness, appealing acidity and fine-grained, stony tannins. Ludicrously good at under 拢10.
2018 Pepe Mendoza El Veneno, Alicante
( 拢22, 14%, The Wine Society )Pepe Mendoza is one of the best producers in the historic region of Alicante, bringing bags of energy and creativity to the denominaci贸n de origen. Called “poison” because of the strong character of the bush vine vineyard that supplied it, this pure Monastrell is fresh, bright and intense, with plum and black cherry fruit, some spices from 50% whole bunches, very subtle wood and tannins that are grippy but not overwhelmingly so.