Wine Weekly

Well if the name doesn�t grab you, I�m not sure what will.

Oh, and don’t confuse it with that 20/20 stuff you drank as a poor college student.

This is a jammy and earthy, fruit-forward, typical Aussie Shiraz that may well knock your socks off. Just one thing — it�s NOT from Australia.

If you are an astute wine geek with a particular fascination for the more obscure wine regions of Spain, then the mention of Monastrell on the label might have tipped you off. For the uninitiated, Monastrell is a grape indigenous to the Jumilla DO region of Spain, and is the same grape they call Mourvedre in the Rhone Valley of France. It�s the base grape for many of my good-valued Spanish wine favorites, such as Juan Gil�s Wrongo Dongo.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen Shiraz Cabernet Monastrell has a deep, rich nose of earth, spice, and cooked black fruits. The nose actually reminds me more of a Rhone wine, such as a Gigondas or Vacqueyras. On the palate, it tastes like an Aussie Shiraz that has been blended with a Rhone Syrah, as you get both the typical New World style fruit-forward jammy flavors upfront, and also get the more earthy, vegetal, cooked fruit / prunelike Old World chacteristics on the midpalate and through the finish. Tannins are medium to strong, and acidity is medium. The sweet jamminess eventually evolves into a more bitter, vegetal finish. Overall this is a very interesting, complex wine. By itself, this wine is contemplative and unusual, but the green flavors and ample tannins may turn you off. For that reason, I strongly suggest you enjoy it with food — such as a nice hunk of cheese, a steak, burger, meatloaf, or similarly protein-rich dish.

I thought for sure this wine retailed at $16 or more � however you will probably find it for no more than eleven bucks, possibly as low as eight. A great value and worth trying.

a-8 t-7 b-7 fc-7 v-10 ~ 89 points

Imported by Click Wine Group

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