In my experience monastrell is one of the most reliable red grapes, often delivering great value wines under 10 Euros. The Al-muvedre from Telmo Rodriguez is usually one that can prove that point (like the superb 2018), but not the 2023 vintage, the subject of this post.

Surprisingly pale in color and that translates to the palate – it’s a tad flabby, lacking vigour and presence. There are varietal carob powder aromas, but there’s not much character here. Round and easy to drink for sure, but it’s simple, cannot be compared to previous vintages. Not bad, not good, just okay. 82 points.