2012 Compañía de Vinos Del Atlántico Gordo

If you're thinking of a good red wine for the Fourth of July that will go with hamburgers and hot dogs and will not break the bank, I have a tip for you!
Last night, we had this 2012 Compañía de Vinos Del Atlántico Gordo with hamburgers as a pre-Fourth of July test, it's an onerous job but someone must do it. It worked!
The Gordo is a mixture of 70% Monastrell and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and with 5 years of age, it was inky purple in color and
packed a punch of tannins.

The Monastrell grape is known in France as Mourvèdre and Mataro in Italy. I have to admit that when I read "Mourvèdre", I recognized the varietal. Jancis Robinson, in the compendium Wine Grapes writes that 'monastrell' is derived from the Latin monasteriella meaning 'monastery' suggesting that the grape was cultivated by monks. It is an ancient varietal that was supposed to have made its way to the Iberian Peninsula by the Phoenicians.

The Gordo wine is made by Compania de Vinos del Atlantico, founded in 2002 to unite the winemaking heritage and families of Alberto Orte and Patrick Mata. The winemaking heritage can be traced back to the 1800s. The Gordo vineyard is located in southeastern Spain, in Yecla at an elevation of 2,339 feet. The coolness of the high altitude makes for a more aromatic, fresh, easy drinking wine. I can attest to that and at a price of around $15.00 should be a good quaffer to round out the Fourth of July comestibles!
References:
1. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, pg 646-648-503, Allen Lane 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2.
2. Compañía de Vinos Del Atlántico Gordo.