Porta Regia '12 Meses' Monastrell (2019)

Porta Regia’s 2019 bottling of 12 Meses Barrica is another excellent bottle of Monastrell, which is one of the most under-appreciated red varieties in Spain as far as I am concerned. This wine too comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol, but comes off nicely precise on the nose, delivering scents of red and black cherries, spiced meats, a hint of garrigue, a lovely base of soil tones, gently savory notes, bonfire and a nice foundation of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a good core of fruit, fine soil signature, modest tannins and a long, balanced and classy finish. This seems a touch lower in acidity than the 2020 “5 Meses Barrica” bottling, which takes away the nice backend lift of the former wine. But, this still has admirable depth and complexity. 2022-2040