~$9US 90% Mourvedre (aka: Monastrell) /10% Grenache

Fairly opaque ruby jewel tones. Imparts a rich nose of blackberries, white pepper, tobacco, and some wild gamey notes. Very nice texture and balance on the palate - round and viscous, with bittersweet chocolate notes coming through. The tannins are a bit aggressive and drying in the finish, but the wine redeems itself with some restrained oak, vanilla, and a cornbread-like(?!) ending.

This wine has a helluva lot to offer in the sub-$15 category (let alone the sub $10) in terms of character and wine-craft. The Monastrell grape shines through- showing the varietally-correct deep black fruits, alcohol, tannins, and a wild, meatiness. The mouthfeel is where this excels - it is simply stimulating in the mouth. Another great food wine for red meats; it has enough fruit up-front, and balances it with some old-world charm. Hard not to like this effort, especially for the price.

~$40US 70% Mourvedre/ 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, Jumilla Spain

I’ve been waiting to try this, the first Clio vintage, for awhile…This wine has a bit of a cult following and has received some massive ratings. I originally bought the bottle because I thought the label design was gorgeous. Little did I know what was inside was even more remarkable. The color was plum, and ever-so-slightly transparent. A taste just after opening; waaaaaay too young, hot, tannic, and spiky. I decanted for 4-5 hours and tried again…now it was starting to sing. Enormous aromas of violets, iris, dark berries, black pepper and black currant jam on the nose. The floral notes kicked what would be a typical ‘fruit bomb-style’ up a notch into something much more finessed and complex. On the palate Clio revealed itself as a powerful and structured wine. A brazen, mouth-filling attack, big fruits, some oak, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate-covered-cranberries. Firm, mouth-drying tannins after 6 hours(!) make me predict this as a 15+ year wine. Sweet long finish. It paired well with a Korean braised short-rib stew. Wonderful wine; I can’t wait the try the 04 (in the year 2020). Or Clio’s daddy, the El Nido.

Be patient. Massive and fruity, young, sexy, built and seriously fun. Seriously.