Casa Agrícola 'el Veneno' Monastrell 2018
$108.00 RRP
‘El Veneno’ is a mountain parcela in Alto Vinalopó. The name means a bad man, literally ‘venemous’ … the vineyard was planted by a guy famous for his foul temper. The vineyard is a beautiful parcel of goblet-trained Monastrell, in sandy limestone. Aged 12 months in 500l French barrels, after a gentle maceration of whole fruit with 50% stems and fermentation in 5th use oak (1,000 litre vats).
A super-fresh and nimble wine of Mediterranean garriga, sweet spices and strands of fine, briary tannins running through delicate red fruit. Smells and tastes of wild green fennel, rosemary, fresh tobacco, mulberry leaves, red date and brined olive. There’s the smell of hands damp with potting clay, and a hint of leather. An opening riff of beautiful little skinsy wild red cherries gains spices to finish dry and nutty as the acid takes the show to a gently fading, long and delicate close.