Almodí 2022

It is no easy job to find wines made with Hairy Grenache, especially if you are looking for a single-variety wine, and it becomes a virtually impossible task if you are after an inexpensive one. However, this Almodí wine does fulfill these conditions — it's an exceptional high-quality single-variety Hairy Grenache wine at a price hard to believe. Hairy Grenache vines are grown in Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Alicante, and the south of France. Due to its supposed vegetable profile, this variety fell out of use for many years, but modern day oenology allows winemakers to use it to develop wines full of personality where wild fruit aromas win out against vegetable ones, and its delicateness and elegance come to the forefront of the wine. The rather peculiar name of this grape comes from the hairy or furry underside of the vine leaves. The Almodí is a red wine from the Terra Alta region combining all the qualities of the great Hairy Grenache plants in old vineyards. Its aroma is seductive, soothing, and purely Mediterranean. You'll find overtones of scrub-bush alongside notes of wild fruit. On the palate, it is juicy and strong, but fine, full and elegant. On airing, hints of blue flowers, liquorice, fine toast and dust appear. The wine's tannins are somewhat rustic but balanced, and its pleasant volume captivates you. Flavours of blackberry jam and peppers become more evident with time, rounding off a wine with aromas usually associated to a higher price range.