Acústic Celler Red Montsant | 2021

I visited Acústic Celler in 2009 and at the time, had carried the wines on my list. Then, sadly, their importer passed away, and the wines disappeared from our market for a long stretch. One Monday morning, my friend Alejandro stopped by with a bag of “new” wines to taste. As he unpacked the bottles, out came an Acústic. There was my old friend. Wrapping around the more famous Priorat region in a horseshoe shape, Montsant remains one of Spain’s most underrated places for old-vine Garnatxa and Carinyena. What I love about this red is that it’s unusually Carinyena-forward, winning you over with its darkest of dark red fruits and exotic spice. Then, beneath the fruit, the rugged terroir emerges with pitch-black jellies of stone. A supremely tasty wine for under $30, keep Montsant and Acústic Celler on your drinking radar. ~Allegra Angelo