Barahonda
Monastrell
YeclaMurcia, Spain
2004
14.5%
$9.99 -- Chapel Hill, NC
Color: Deep red with brown
Nose: Violety peat
Body: Medium
Front: Dates
Middle: Tannins, vanilla (how)?
Back: Leathery pepper
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
Historians will notice that it's been awhile since I posted. First, I got sick. Then, I got infected. Then, I went on two rounds of antibiotics and at some point lost the ability to taste almost anything. I went a month without drinking any wine. While it's nice to know I'm not an alcoholic, I'm distressed that my taste buds basically need to be rebooted--and, of course, it's now allergy season!
But enough whining... crappy taste buds and all, I seem to be able to tell whether a wine more or less sucks or not. Tonight while paying my bills I noticed that the glue on the payment envelopes for American Express tastes like cheap Pinot Noir. So I'm back in the saddle.
This wine certainly does not suck. Apparently it was super a couple of years ago, too, which doesn't surprise me. The tinge of brown might mean it's maturing, which is good to know. It costs next to nothing, and newer vintages, though praised by certain famous tastemakers, might not break the bank either. It's chewy, spicy, and just plain old tasty.
