INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 BODEGAS ALTOS DE MONTANCHEZ TEMPRANILLO 'VEGAS ALTAS' EXTREMADURA $15.99

​As we are all preparing for the incoming Snowpocalypse (Snowmageddon? Snowzilla? Snow-Rodan?), seems wise to pour a wine that has some oomph to keep folks warm. The Extremadura region in Southwestern Spain is just such a place for those wines, warm and fertile with lots of regional crop specialties (as well as Pata Negra Serrano ham), and wines meant to be straightforward and approachable. I.E. cheap and cheerful. This Bodega is a very unique outlier in the region as the first (perhaps only?) certified organic producer for all the wines under their roof, with multiple parcels they work with moving to Biodynamics. Their style leans towards the natural or minimal intervention world, which brings freshness and style to reds that can often be lacking in character or subtlety. Fresh blackberry and current aromas on the nose, especially with a little time open, but also a nice pop of citrus, chocolate orange style that really plays nicely with the emerging peppery and savory notes. That citrus also comes out on the palate, providing freshness and acidity that is so often lost in wines from this region, giving the juicy dark fruits some lift and finishing surprisingly clean. A great pairing with lots of slow cooked 'comfort foods' you may be fixing with nowhere to go for 2-3 days at a time.

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