Much better than expected. A great old world wine, Good structure and balance, great with food, a steal at this price!

Appearance: Deep purple, thin ruby rim. Very solid, awesome value for the price ($10.98). Might benefit from some bottle age, maybe another year or two. 14%abv

A bit soft with a sour barnyard nose to it. This did blow off with a bit of time open and gave way to some nice cherry, and raspberry fruit. Light spice on the palate made this a fun drink, though I will be drinking up! This wine is at or past peak. 3/5

Stronger alcohol taste than I expected, but good. Visit my website: Complaint Hub

Good dark pit fruit and berries. Notes of mesquite and bacon fat. Nice concentration with smooth tannins, good finish.

Was fairly closed. Dark fruit, bitter chocolate. Did not open as much as expected in the glass. Bit disappointed. Tannins still showing. Can cellar another couple years.

Did not rate. Opened for dinner and it was shut down. Almost nothing but strong tannins. Double decanted and let sit. I ended up drinking it two days later when the fruit decided to show up. Nice wine but I think it needs some time to calm down.

Tasty with good body still but getting to a point that I would drink up! Rich fruit, but some secondary showing up. 3.5/5

Deep purple with thick legs. Blackberry, black cherry and black pepper all show on the nose which happens to be quite big. Sneaking in on the backend of the nose is a light minerality. Rich in the mouth with strong tannins and high acid. Almost too much. The flavors of the nose follow through though I think this wine could still use to calm down a bit. alt=3

The 2004 Hecula is a single vineyard selection of 100% Monastrell, 50% tank aged and 50% aged in French oak. It is slightly less ebullient but more serious than its younger sibling. Exhibiting aromas of toasty black fruits with milk chocolate in the background, this is a super-rich effort with terrific depth and concentration for its humble price. It is a remarkable value for drinking over the next few years. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

Inky purple with hints of blue. Deep fruit nose with berries, vanilla and a nice slate overtone hovering above it all. Very intense in the nose and it keeps drawing you in. Med weight with Soft tannins and an acidic cherry quality. Deep fruit once again that needs time to open up with a tight core of tart black berry. Very nice, though I will wait to see what develops. With time plum and some spice comes to the front of the nose. While the tannins integrate a bit more and I begin to pick up more of a ripe blackberry. I really like this and it's similar in many ways to its bigger brother which I've had in the past. c5a12t15o7=89+

This was a real pleasure for $7! Blackberry/cassis, maybe some licorice, but fruit was abounding, even some nice acid to stand up to some food. Had fruit across the palate - nothing thin about this wine. Great everyday wine for the price - definitely paid more for lesser juice.

A bit on the cold side at the time of tasting. The nose is reserved and shows mainly wood. In the mouth it is not cloying as the acidity is high and helps to balance it. Great fruit flavors of blackberries, and black cherries round out a lush soft mouthfeel. Fun to drink. 4/5