Tasting- Time Waits For No One

Name: Time Waits For No One

Variety: Monastrell

Region: Jumilla DO of Southeastern Spain

Country: Spain 

Year: 2017

Price: $15.99 ($45 At Guachos) 

Winery Review

"The color is dark, barely see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is earthy and slightly raisiny, there is exotic spice, vanilla, fudge chocolate, blackberry, and prune. This is a wine with a soft, beguiling mouth-feel upfront and gets rougher and more complex as the flavors play out. It tastes of blackberry, raisin, and plum, along with oak spice. The mid-palate shows some dusty tannins, a light sprinkle of Nestles Quik powder, and pomegranate. The acidity is balanced and the finish is full, if not particularly long-lasting."

- Domaine Dave from Cheap Wine Finder

Wine Folly

Honestly, I am not that familiar with this grape. I think most of the times this variety is used to supplement other grapes in blended wines. This grape, being grown primarily in Spain and France, will have a different flavor profile based on its geographical location. As a Spanish Wine, I find Wine Folly's description of the grape to be the perfect embodiment of this bottle: "A major variety in the regions of Jumilla, Yecla, Alicante, and Bullas, where the grape is called Monastrell. The warm, dry climate produces wines with bold fruit flavors and even some tar and black olive" (page 134). I think a lot of those darker, smokier flavors- such as tobacco, blackberry, and mocha- are being fully embraced and celebrated. Granted, however, this bottle is not as bold as one would think. Although big flavors are being expressed right upfront, the wine has a more light and gentle finish compared to other red wines.  

My Review

This is probably one of- if not the best- red wine I have ever had. I have been a big fan of Time Waits for a long time now. The restaurant I work at- Guacho Brazilian Grille- has carried this same bottle and vintage for at least five years. Most of my patrons love it when I recommend it to them. It's honestly extremely hard to locate this bottle. The only complaint I have had was when someone claimed that this wine must be super young after doing a bottle service for them. Using my very rudimentary wine knowledge, I told the man, 

"Actually the vintage is 2017..."

I felt super proud of myself. 

It used to be sold at my local Kroger, but I have been unable to find it. The only reason I was able to sample this bottle- since it is pretty expensive at my workplace- was because John Boyer himself bought me the bottle after a ridiculously hard shift. For that, I owe the man my life. 

I think my favorite part about this wine is how despite being a fairly complex flavor profile, the wine is like drinking candy. It is such an easy drink to enjoy, with or without food. You can first notice the multifaceted nature of the wine when you inhale the symphony of flavors. Strong notes of mocha, vanilla, spice, and chocolate immediately light up the senses. Those flavors continue to dance along the tongue, although the finish is a lot more gentle compared to other reds I have had. While most red wines leave my mouth dry and puckering, I feel as though this wine leaves with a velvety grace due to a lack of tannic qualities. Although its chocolatey on the nose, it is more jammy and plummy on the tongue initially. While the dark berries spark, hints of tobacco and spice creep in near the back of the mouth. Those hints of sweet mocha and dark chocolate are more of a finishing flavor. 

I would highly recommend this wine. I think the skull and cross bones on the label is off putting to a lot of people. (My old boss even told me he could never sell the bottle, despite tasting good, because of the graphic design.) I, however, would assert that time is waiting for you to buy this bottle; similarly, time is waiting for someone to buy me another bottle at work.