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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2020 and 2028 (based on 15 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.9 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 78 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by christyspring on 12/28/2023 & rated 94 points: Gift from Noel and Meg that we drank with LizAnne Christmas 2023 with steak. Perfect pairing-wonderful wine (385 views) | | | Tasted by Noel's Cellar on 9/4/2023 & rated 95 points: This wine is well balanced and delicious! Ripe red raspberries and leather on the nose. Cherry pie on the palate with a hint of anise and leather. (661 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 4/7/2023 flawed bottle: My last bottle of six has enough issues that I'll call it flawed rather than over-the-hill. My prior two ratings had been 95. This one, I'd give low 80s - drinkable, but a bit sour and definitely imbalanced with either premature tertiary flavors or some oxidation. Go by my and others' prior notes and drink now on the assumption this is at peak. Even had this bottle been like my last, I'd propose that Alto Moncayo is not like great CdP, which I await until 10+ years. I prefer AM at peak primary phase, 5-10 years after release. (1005 views) | | | Tasted by weinfreak1205 on 12/25/2022 & rated 95 points: Nach dem exzellenten Marques de Grinon musste etwas Besonderes her. Und dies war er: Der Alto Moncayo ist ein Weltklasse-Wein zu einem Spottpreis. Fruchtbetont Nase, tief und dicht. Im Mund sagenhaft komplex mit Aromen von Pflaumen, Brombeeren und schwarzen Früchten. Hinzu kommen Noten von schwarzer Bitterschokolade und Pfeffer. Weiche, elegante Tannine. Enorm intensiv. Der Alkohol (16%!) ist wunderbar eingebunden und keineswegs aufdringlich. Sehr langer Abgang. Wenn man sieht, was man zu diesem Preis (knapp 40€) in Bordeaux bekommt - von Burgund ganz zu schweigen -, dann ist solch ein Wein geradezu geschenkt. Ganz großes Kino! (1245 views) | | | Tasted by jocelyng on 10/15/2022 & rated 92 points: 92-93 see Huse note: I can’t do better ! (1466 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 10/8/2022 & rated 95 points: Once again, I'm rating this 95 and believe it's drinking at a terrific peak. Well-integrated tar and licorice flavors are what put this over the top for me. Hard to beat in the world of wine for $35. (1354 views) | | | Tasted by jocelyng on 5/26/2022 & rated 93 points: Super ripe fruits: blueberry, strawberry, plum and some blackberry (without any bittertaste). Rich mouth:licorice with an almost sweet (brown sugar) finish.
Would be a 95+ wine if the heaviness of the 16% (!!!) alcohol was not so overwhelming. (1781 views) | | | Tasted by jan erik on 12/27/2021 & rated 94 points: - Ruby color - Jeeez, prime window now! (2137 views) | | | Tasted by wicho on 12/19/2021 & rated 94 points: An incredible wine at its peak!! (1778 views) | | | Tasted by RobertWiktoren on 12/15/2021 & rated 95 points: Exceptionally good wine (1716 views) | | | Tasted by GARDEN on 11/14/2021 & rated 93 points: 92 on night one and 93 on night two... (1670 views) | | | Tasted by huse on 9/22/2021 & rated 92 points: A very dense and powerful Grenache wine (100 percent / 40 to 70 years old vines / quartzite, slate and marl soils), aged for twenty months in new barriques (65 percent French, 35 percent American). I think the wine has reached its peak now. Deep inky red in color and a complex and inviting nose revealing scents of ripe cherries, dried figs, licorice, tobacco and some sweet oaky notes. The ample, full-bodied palate offers concentrated plum and blackberry fruit, a well-balanced structure and abundant but velvety tannins. Persistent finish. This wine is drinking excellently now, but I would not wait too many years to drink up your remaining bottles.
Een zeer dichte en krachtige Grenache-wijn (100 percent / 40 tot 70 jaar oude wijnstokken / kwartsiet, leisteen en mergel bodems) met een rijping van twintig maanden in nieuwe barriques (65 percent Frans, 35 percent Amerikaans). Volgens mij heeft deze wijn nu zijn hoogtepunt bereikt. Diep inktrood van kleur en een complexe en verleidelijke neus met aroma’s van rijpe kers, gedroogde vijgen, zoethout, tabak en wat subtiele toetsen van eik. Het weelderige, volle smaakpatroon biedt geconcentreerd pruimen- en bramenfruit, een fraai uitgebalanceerde structuur en overvloedige maar fluwelige tannines. Persistente afdronk. Deze wijn is nu perfect op dronk, maar ik zou niet al te lang meer wachten om uw resterende flessen op te drinken. (3260 views) | | | Tasted by Ara Kafafian on 8/12/2021 & rated 95 points: The drinking window needs to be extended from 2028 to 2035 at least. This is a tannic beast which is impenetrable at the moment. Needs a few years to open and soften. Tremendous potential. (1643 views) | | | Tasted by wicho on 7/4/2021 & rated 94 points: In the last two weeks I have had two separate bottles and wow, I am so delighted. This is a superb wine and this vintage, while it can continue to improve with age, is so delightful to drink. Grenache at its best; full bodied, medium acidity (it is wonderful with a good steak), medium tannins with a terrific nose and mouthfeel! It is getting better and better with age! (1541 views) | | | Tasted by jan erik on 5/6/2021 & rated 93 points: Good stuff! (1554 views) | | | Tasted by jan erik on 4/4/2021 & rated 91 points: - Crimsom color. (1690 views) | | | Tasted by Casablanca77 on 3/7/2021 & rated 93 points: This was fantastic. This Garnacha is full-bodied, robust and full of flavor. It's a little hot with 16% alcohol but very juicy with medium to high tannins. The aromas are of raisin, earth, blackberry and a little smoke. On the palate, the flavors are of black plum, black currant and a touch of mocha. Very balanced with a lengthy finish! (1573 views) | | | Tasted by Bodwigg on 11/7/2020 & rated 93 points: Dark, huge, full, powerful, rich with lots of dry dark fruit and spices. Maybe it's too much of everything (16 % abv) which makes the wine taste more one-dimensional than it really is. (1950 views) | | | Tasted by Montesquieu on 9/4/2020 & rated 95 points: Remember the good old days when Robert Parker rated the 2007 and 2009 vintages of this wine 100 points, despite the ridiculously low price of $30-40/bottle? Grenache is my wife's favorite grape, so I rushed out and bought a case for <$40/bottle. Did he set us up for a giant let-down? No way. Loved every bottle. We drink unusually large amounts of Grenache from the Rhone, Spain, US, and occasionally Australia/Sardinia/etc. This continues to be the silky smoothest of them all. Not the biggest and most complex. (That's for CdP and the fantastic Alban Pandora.) Not the most intellectual and ethereal. (That's perhaps Terroir al Limit and Nit de Nin.) But this is so silky smooth, with the depth and complexity to get me to 95 points. I think the 2015 vintage compares to the 2007 and 2009. I've had many of the other in-between vintages, which were also good but not quite this. For me, Alto Moncayo does not require more age or even long aeration to be its best. Pop now and enjoy a terrific wine. (1989 views) | | | Tasted by nmichaud1 on 6/25/2020: Le vin est très concentré avec des fruits confits, très soyeux et facile à boire. Par contre, il y a un boisé très (trop) appuyé qui enlève un peu de charme. C'est crowd pleaser pour sa buvabilité facile. C'est bon et fait pour être bu jeune j'ai l'impression. (2305 views) | | | Tasted by CRAUBER4242 on 6/14/2020 & rated 95 points: No formal notes but this is drinking great! And it needed minimal air to show its stuff. (2095 views) | | | Tasted by Champagnelife on 5/30/2020 & rated 86 points: Vin gourmand, goût de fruit compoté, presque bonbon, avec une touche de vanille en finale.le 15% se fait tout de même sentir en finale. (1990 views) | | | Tasted by jan erik on 3/28/2020 & rated 93 points: Good stuff this. Keep it cool ,say 16-17 degrees C and it gives a lot of nice,dark fruit and tannins. (1997 views) | | | Tasted by wicho on 1/13/2020 & rated 93 points: Fruit forward and ready to drink. It will get better when the tannins settle, but why wait? (2303 views) | | | Tasted by WineDoc1955 on 4/27/2019 & rated 92 points: Very dense fruit, plum, black cherry.
Excellent drinking now (4/2019) (3362 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Bodegas Alto Moncayo Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
[Importer bio?] Joint venture of Jose Miguel San Martin, Jorge Ordonez, Bodegas Borsao and Dan Phillips in conjunction with Chris Ringland. Winery is located in the town of Bulbuente. Grapes are sourced from 62 hectares (153.2 acres) of old clone Garnacha vines planted on hillside vineyards oriented to the southwest. A few of the vineyards are terraced. All the vines are vaso trained. The vineyards are located in 3 villages. Very unique soils of red clay (indicative of being rich in iron) mixed with red slate. Because of its hillside location the soils are very poor in organic matter and shallow. A few sites have calcareous soils. Continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. Nighttime during the summer brings cool temperatures to moderate the growing season. There is scant rainfall.GarnachaWikipedia: In Spain, Grenache is known as Garnacha and given the likely history of the grape this is most likely the grape's original name. There are several clonal varieties of Garnacha with the thin-skinned, dark colored Garnacha Tinta (sometimes spelled Tinto) being the most common. Another variety, known as Garnacha Peluda or "Hairy Grenache" due to the soft softly hairy texture on the underside of the vine's leaves is also found in Spain, mostly in Borja and Cariñena (Aragón). Compared to its more widely planted cousin, it produces wines lower in alcohol and higher in acidity that show spicy and savory notes more readily as they age.[11] Widely planted in northeastern and central Spain, Garnacha was long considered a "workhorse" grape of low quality suitable for blending. In the late 20th century, the success of the Garnacha based wines from Priorat in Catalonia (as well as the emerging international attention given to the New World Rhone Rangers) sparked a re-evaluation of this "workhorse" variety. Today it is the third most widely planted red grape variety in Spain (behind Tempranillo and Bobal) with more than 203,300 acres (82,300 ha) and is seen in both varietal wines and blends.[3]
Garnacha plays a major role in the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC/DOQ) wines of Rioja and Priorat and the Denominación de Origen (DO) wines of Navarra and all southern Aragonese and southern Catalonian appellations, plus the mountainous areas just southwest of Madrid: Méntrida and Cebreros. In Rioja the grape is planted mostly in the warmer Rioja Baja region located in the eastern expanse of the wine region. Usually blended with Tempranillo, Garnacha provides juicy fruitiness and added body. In recent years, modern Rioja producers have been increasing the amount of Garnacha used in the blend in order to produce earlier maturing and more approachable Riojas in their youth. Garnacha is also used in the pale colored rosados of Rioja.[3] The vine has a long history in the Navarra region where it has been the dominant red grape variety with nearly 54% of the region's vineyard planted with Garnacha. Compared to neighboring Rioja, the Garnacha-based blends of Navarra are lighter and fruitier, meant for earlier consumption.[5]Spain Vinos de España - Wines of Spain (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior) | Wikipedia
Wine Map on weinlagen-info
Spain is the third largest wine producing nation in the world, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula with vast diversity in climate, culture, and of course, wine. From inky, dark reds of the [Priorat] to dry, white Finos from Andalusia, Spain can easily boast of elaborating a wide variety of notable styles. Within Spain there are currently 62 demarcated wine regions, of which a handful have gained international recognition: [Rioja], Priorat and [Ribera del Duero]. Yet these regions are only a small sample of the high quality wines Spain produces. Regions such as Cava, Penedes, Somontano, Galicia, Rueda and Jerez are only a few of the numerous regions worthy of exploration throughout Spain. Spain can also lay claim to having the most land under vine in the world, growing up to, by some accounts, 600 indigenous varietals of which Tempranillo is their most well known. Other popular varietals include [Garnacha], Bobal and Monastrell for reds and for whites; the infamous [sic] Palomino Fino grape which is used in the production of sherry wine, Pedro Ximenez in Montilla Morilles, Albarino used in the creation of the bright, effervescent wines of Galicia, and Verdejo in Rueda. - Source: - Catavino.net
Spain is not in the forefront of winemaking for its dessert wines, other than for its sweet wines from Sherry country including the highly revered Olorosos (when sweetened). But apart from Sherry Spain has a range of styles of dessert wines, ranging from the those made from the Pedro Ximenez grape primarily in Jerez and Montilla-Moriles) to luscious, red dessert wines made in the Mediterranean from the Garnacha (Grenache) grape. Some good Moscatels are made in Mallorca, Alicante and Navarre. The northwest corner of Spain, Galicia, with its bitter Atlantic climate, is even making dessert wines, called “Tostadillos” in the village of Ribadivia (similar to France’s “Vin de Paille”). The Canary Islands have made interesting dessert wines for centuries (they are mentioned by Shakespeare, for example) and in recent years the quality of winemaking has been improved and the Canary Islands wines are being better marketed now. The winemaking styles for “Vinos Dulces” are also diverse, from “Late Harvest” (Vendimia Tardía) to “Fortified Wines” (Fermentación Parcial). Based on in-spain.info.Aragón Aragon (wikipedia)Campo de Borja DO Campo de Borja
Campo de Borja is een streek die in het westen ligt van de regio Aragón en geografisch gezien is het een voortzetting van zuid Navarra. De wijngaarden staan op een hoogte van 350 tot 700 meter in een bodem die vooral bestaat uit bruine, zanderige aarde en kalksteen. Dit bodemtype bevordert de drainage en is rijk aan calcium en silicium. Ideaal voor het produceren van kwaliteitswijnen. Het klimaat in Campo de Borja is continentaal. Hete zomers, koude winters en maar weinig neerslag. Gelukkig maakt de wintermist veel goed. Wijngaarden in deze regio bestaan vaak uit de druivensoort Garnacha. Tegenwoordig wordt deze ook aangevuld met Tempranillo en Cabernet Sauvingon. Campo de Borja heeft een D.O. status sinds 1980.
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