It’s beauty & the beast

Ionly stepped down half a percent this week and found myself in a whole other world. A cracking Monastrell was some kind of epiphany, a vision of how a wine can offer poise and delicacy while wearing a rather menacing pair of black leather gloves.

I expected a beast – a wine with swagger, with savoury notes balanced against deep dark fruit and a tannic grip that let you know it had arrived.

That’s what you’d think you were getting with this grape, known by the French as Mourvedre and a key ingredient in many a hefty vino in Languedoc and Rhone, not least Chateauneufdu-pape.

But that first sip had me raising an eyebrow and wondering what had become of this grape that people would often compare with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Lighter than expected, my notes said with the word “bright” popping up twice and finishing on some reference to those wee pink cherries you get in jars of sugary water. That all probably sounds bad, but it was anything but.

It’s like there was a sugar coating to a wine with real depth. Those savoury, black olive and dark chocolate notes were there as was a granite minerality but it was beautifully overlaid with a balancing, well, brightness.

With coffee, people talk about a high acidity cup being bright. There was a similar electric zing going on here, with zippy fruit bringing a tautness to a wine that had muscle too, but muscle that was more lean panther than grizzly bear.

It was a significant departure from the 14.5% Ribera and Oz Shiraz I had the other week which were blockbusters. The Monastrell was 14% so no shrinking violet but did rightly with a lamb chump chop well charred on the barbecue.

A rather different vino I had a wee glass of this week was a fizz from Tasmania. I spied it in Winemark and thought I’d give it a try as I’ve heard good things about Tasmania’s cool climate and particularly their Chardonnay.

The Jansz Premium Cuvee is a Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend and had a really nice mouth to it.

Well rounded and with a richness of fruit and slight nuttiness, this is good gear in the Cava price bracket.

Taste of those wee pink cherries you get in jars of sugary water