The Magus Dark Garnacha is currently on offer from Costco for $6.99. It does not look to be widely available outside of Costco, but prices fall between $18 and $24.
The Story
The Magus Dark Garnacha is from Bodegas Valdeorite in the Extremadura DO, inside the greater Ribera del Guadiana DO in North-West Spain, near Portugal.
There is no vintage date on the label, so this is a non-vintage wine, but sourced from estate vineyards.
There isn’t much information available on this Garnacha; most mentions come from Dutch wine shops on the internet.
One interesting note is that Miles Davis recorded a live album in 1974 at Carnegie Hall titled Dark Magus. A Magus is a wizard or sorcerer.
A non-vintage wine from estate vineyards is somewhat rare; they must wish that this wine is consistent every year, not vintage-dependent.
The alcohol content is 14%.
The Magus Dark Garnacha Tasting Notes
The color is raspberry with serious black highlights. The nose is ripe blackberry, licorice, plum, light spice, and blueberry, along with a floral note. The Magus Dark Garnacha is rather tasty with sleek fruit flavors and a nice spicy edge.
This Garnacha (note: Grenache and Garnacha are the same grape) tastes like ripe blueberry, a shot of spice, licorice, and cassis. Tart cranberry and jammy raspberry.
The tannins are soft, and the acidity does its job well.
The Summary
- The Magus Dark Garnacha is an unexpectedly delicious Costco find.
- A $6.99 Red from a Spanish DO that I never heard of is not always a recipe for success.
- But I taste why this Garnache sells for 2 to 3 times the Costco price; it drinks well.
