Tasting Notes

Spain's Monastrell grape is the same as France's Mourvèdre. In this Spanish take on the grape, the wine exhibits prune, blackberry, and earthy aromas, with ripe, juicy flavors along with jammy black-fruit appeal and light black pepper notes. At first, the fascinating texture is somewhat leathery, but the wine finishes soft, after waves of warm grapey flavors. Drink now through 2009.

Winery Story

With a history dating back to 1925, the Spanish winery of Bodegas Antonia Candela e Hijos is firmly planted in winemaking tradition. Using local grapes, including Monastrell, Mencia, and Tempranillo, the third generation winery continues to expand their offerings in all price points.

The Barahonda collection is their premium line of wines. From this producer's standpoint, "premium" means being made from grapes the winery owns, and that the wine was aged in oak barrels. They also limit the amount of wine made, insuring close attention to quality.

Spanish wines are food friendly, usually having good acidity to meld well with protein like well-marbled steaks. They also have a characteristic earthiness that can play off herbs and root vegetables.