Tragolargo Monastrell 2019

Regularly $21.99
 

• Buy a case for just $11.99 Beats the Best US Price Online by $8 per bottle! - save 45%!!!
• Buy six for just $13.49
• All Else Sale $14.99 - still killing the best US Price by $6! And a 32% Savings!

91 pts Wine Advocate

Why the crazy deal? Tariffs and COVID have put a hurting on the import business... After tasting this gem I asked the price...  but instead of me asking how much for all of it, it was more like, what price do we need to get to for you to take all of it? And here we are... 112 cases. 

Tragolargo translates as “Big Gulp”, which to most of us invokes images of the super-sized cups from a 7-11. Normally, that word association might raise an eyebrow, but once I had a taste of this wine I wished I had a comically oversized 44-ounce vessel to drink this bad boy out of! Or maybe one of those hats with the straws... 

So what makes this wine so incredibly drinkable? It starts with the 45+ year-old Monastrell vines from Casa Balaguer in the Alicante region of Spain. What these old vines lack in production quantity is more than made up for in quality - small amounts of complex and concentrated grapes. Left to its own devices, old-vines Monastrell can produce super-charged, high alcohol wines... not that there is anything wrong with that. But the winemaker here is looking for a bit more vivacity. So he pulls out a couple of unique techniques. 

First, roughly a third of the grapes go through carbonic maceration- the fermentation technique often used in Beaujolais. The process results in wine that is light in tannins and extraction and heavy on bright fruit aromas and flavors. Blending with the traditionally fermented Monastrell adds brightness and balance.  that results in lighter and fruitier wines. Second, instead of the usual oak barrel aging, the Tragolargo spends 4 months in clay amphorae. Why clay? The winemaker feels the oak imparts too strong of tannins and flavors to the wine, obscuring Monatsrell's natural beauty. And it allows for a lot of oxygen to come in contact with the wine. Stainless steel tanks, on the other hand, don't let any oxygen touch the wine... and Monastrell needs just a little air to develop.  "Like oak, clay is porous, so it does allow for some oxygen giving the wine a deep and rich texture, but like steel it’s a neutral material that won’t impart any additional flavors." (Wine Enthusiast)  Oh, and it is way cheaper than oak barrels or stainless steel tanks! So there’s that…

Put it all together and you have an incredibly juicy, vivacious wine. It’s got all the big berry and cherry I expect from Monastrell, all with a juicy streak of acidity underneath that enhances the drinkability and highlights each distinct fruit note. There’s beautifully elegant tannins and a lovely spice note that makes it all the more enjoyable. This is the exact wine I want when I get off work and there’s a little bit of sun left to sit out on the porch with.

Pairings? I don’t know… a pitcher?

Seriously, the winery recommends all the usual suspects - grilled meats, roast duck and pizza - along with Serran ham and Spanish cheeses. But the pairing that makes my mouth water is their suggestion of wild mushrooms and roasted red peppers stuffed with a soft goat's cheese. Oh my! 


Or reply. The wine is available now in both stores.