Castano Hecula Organic Monastrell

Four Gold medals and under $15?! Wow, what the heck! It’s Hecula, that’s what. A darkly fruited, spicy, medium to full bodied QUADRUPLE GOLD WINNING Spanish red packing a heap of flavour and a tonne of value. We’ve been banging on for years that Spain produced some of the best bang for buck reds on the planet and this is a prime example.

Hecula is produced by the Castano family in the south-east of Spain in a region called Yecla. The grape is Monastrell (also called Mourvedre in France and Mataro in Aussie) and it’s absolutely at home in this part of Spain. With hot summers, long cold winters and long periods of drought – most grapes wouldn’t stand a chance. But in this environment Monastrell brings its A-game!

We could rave on all day about the rich, spicy dark fruits and silky smooth tannins – or make lame jokes about it being one “Hecula” of a deal. The fact is this wine has delivered time and time again and this latest 2019 is no different with a whopping FOUR Gold medals.

It also scored 90/100 with Master of Wine Bob Campbell, who said “From bush-trained vines grown in limestone soils and matured for six months in a mix of French and American oak barrels. Dense, smooth red with plum, raspberry, pepper and smoky oak flavours. A gutsy red offering good value at this price.”

If you’re new to the Monastrell grape this is an awesome place to start. A great red to pair with most red meats, hearty stews and even spicy Mexican dishes.