Bodegas Juan Gil Yellow Label, Monastrell 2022

Not necessarily the Return of the King (AKA Lord of the Rings) but the return of an old favourite Spanish red of ours; known as Monastrell in the region of Jumilla, it’s dark and broody as you would expect but due to the vineyards also being at altitude, it retains a surprising amount of freshness.

The nose has rich plum and bramble characters, with delicate vanilla spice and cedar. The palate has layers of ripe fruit, blackcurrant, blackberry, spicy plum, cherry and fine tannins balanced by bright acidity. Aged for 4 months in a mixture of used American and French oak barrels. 14.5% and certified organic.