12 under $12
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Bodegas Atalaya Laya 2023
$9.98QuickviewRP9090 Points! The entry-level 2023 Laya, produced with 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Monastrell from dry-farmed 30-year-old vines on limestone and stony soils fermented in open-top stainless steel vats. It fermented with neutral yeasts and matured for four months in used French oak barrels, where it also underwent malolactic fermentation. It is fruit-driven and easy to drink, juicy, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.79 and 5.6 grams of acidity. It has a very dark color and an expressive nose redolent of black olives and tomato vine, notes descriptive of the variety, with a Northern Rhône whiff. It's juicy and round on the palate, with polished tannins. It delivers way above its price point. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com
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Olivares Altos de la Hoya Monastrell Jumilla 2023
$11.98QuickviewLocated in the northeast part of Jumilla, Olivares’s Hoya de Santa Ana vineyard is significantly higher than the rest of the appellation. Sandy soils allow for perhaps the highest percentage of ungrafted vines in Europe. The high elevation leads to extended hang time in the Fall - critical for developing aromatics. Harvest typically begins the 3rd week of October, and finishes in early November! No artificial fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are employed, and all Monastrell is trained with traditional, labor-intensive, bush pruning. Grapes are harvested by hand. No irrigation is employed.
Macerations can last over 30 days. Aging occurs in a combination of used French barrique and large conical oak tanks of 6,000-10,000l.
Learn MoreUngrafted vines planted between 1872 and present. 90% Monastrell / 10% Garnacha
