Winemaker Notes
Intense red color, with purple edges. On the nose, fresh and floral red fruits with spices, sandalwood, bay leaf, and menthol. Smooth entry and direct attack, filling with a sweet sensation. The tannins are well-present and at the same time friendly. Long and fruity finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Some baked cherries and grilled wild herbs on the nose, following through to a fine-grained and medium-bodied palate.
The most famous of the rare, red-fleshed grape varieties, Alicante Bouschet is known as a Teinturier grape. While most red grapes have red skin but clear flesh or pulp, the French, Alicante Bouschet and the Georgian (country) variety called, Saperavi, both have red. These make intensely hued, full-bodied red wines that take to oak well and can stand some time in the cellar. Somm Secret—While originally the product of a French crossing (Petit Bouschet and Grenache) of the late 1800s, today Alicante Bouchet grows widely in Spain and is gaining notoriety in Portugal.
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.