Update - Bodegas Atalaya "Laya" 2012

Because I've had so many hits on my write up of the 2010 version of this wonderful everyday red, I thought it fitting that I take a taste of the current 2012 vintage as well. If I wanted to keep it brief, I'd just say, "buy it", you can't do any better for $7.99. But we'll delve a little deeper anyway. And deeper might refer to the color of this wine as well as everything else. The 2010 was listed on the Orowines website (Orowines and the Juan Gil Estates are partners in this and several other Spanish wine projects) as being being 70% Garnacha Tintorera which is also known as Alicante Bouschet. The 2012 however is listed as being 70% Garnacha (Grenache). These are 2 different varietals with the former being a cross of Grenache and Petit Bouschet. There's a big difference between the two and I'd be surprised if there was that big a change in the blend between 2010 and 2012. An email to Orowines and the Gil Estates regarding the blend cleared up the Mystery. The blend is in fact 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Monastrell - except for the Swedish market where for some reason they reverse it to 70% Monastrell and 30% Garnacha Tintorera. Go figure.

Peter Wellington, whose Chardonnay I wrote up in my last post, gave me some great information on Alicante Bouschet when my wife and I visited the winery last year. Wellington has some very old Alicante Bouschet vines on his property dating back to early last century. He told us that it was favored by many California winemakers for not only the big color it gave wine, but for it's very tough skin. He said that you could literally drop an Alicante Bouschet grape on the floor and it would bounce. This made it a very easy grape to transport all over the valley without damaging the fruit.

Anyhow, the 2012 Laya is still one of the best entry level values on the market. Deep, dark and dense purple in color (which is typical of Alicante Bouschet), this great little wine delivers what many wines in the category can't. Beautiful aromas of ripe plum, blueberry, cola, roast coffee and a touch of damp earth lead to large scaled flavors. There's a slight jammy quality to the blueberry and blackberry fruit, though not enough to turn me off. It's not over ripe. It finishes long and lightly tannic with nice balancing acidity. Don't miss it. If you haven't tried the many other everyday Spanish wines the Bodegas Juan Gil produces, you should definitely search them out. Cheers!

More Spain, More Great Value - Honoro Vera Monastrell 2010

It's been awhile since I last checked in. Work, the flu - it can all get in the way of what I really like to do, and that's drink and talk about the world's greatest beverage of course. Yes beer is up there also and some will put that quaff number 1. But for me, the beer just warms up my palate for the wine.

Anyway, while perusing my local joint I came upon another fine Spanish bargain from the Bodegas Juan Gil. This producer seems to make everything well, but when you can put out juice like this for a mere $7.99 then the consumer is the real winner. Honoro Vera is a 100% Monastrell Cuvee from the very warm Jumilla region of Southern Spain. Monastrell, which is called Mourvedre in southern France, has been found in both regions since the 1500s. It's a late ripening grape with thick skins that needs plenty of warmth and hang time to ripen fully. There is an organic version of this bottling as well, though I did not get to try it. The vines for this wine are situated at approximately 2000 ft. in altitude. This brings wide temperature swings from day to night, thus slowing the ripening process and allowing the juice and the skins to ripen in harmony.

This great little weeknight wine presents bold dark berry and plummy aromas with coffee and spice notes that gained in intensity as it aired. In the mouth it's not as concentrated as I thought it might be, but still brings a very nice medium-bodied texture to the glass. The blackberry and blueberry flavors are soft and round but not flabby, with no astringent tannins. It finishes smooth as well with the spice notes and a touch of smoke on the finish. Imported by Opici Imports. Cheers!