Bodegas Atalaya "Laya" 2010

Here's a $7.99 Spanish wine that delivers what many wines costing twice as much can't possibly muster. This winery is a project of the Gil Family Estates, a group that produces a bevy of wonderful everyday Spanish wines. Here they have a sure winner that is comprised of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (also known as Alicante Bouschet) and 30% Monastrell (Mourvedre). Your met first with an inky black/dark purple color. There's very primary chocolatey cherry and dark berry aromas with a touch of peppery spice. The flavors are very large scaled, sweet and fruity yet there's no hint of over-ripeness here. It finishes fairly long with with coffee and spice notes and soft tannins. There's plenty of acidity to balance out the fruit and plenty of fruit to hide the 14.5% alcohol. From the Almansa DO in Southeastern Spain, a very warm region, I'm sure that the 2500 ft. in altitude that these vines live in help keep these grapes from getting too ripe. Although it's not the most complex quaff around, it's still an amazingly fruity and easy drinking wine for the price. Imported by Opici Imports, you really can't do much better for $7.99. Cheers.