Well, I guess I can add this one on to the life list of 100% varietal alicantes (along with Topolos and Wellington). It's Portugese "vinho regional Estremadura" weighing in at 13.5% alcohol and a ridiculous $6.99 price point at Oddbins.
In the glass, it's black as sin, black as death, black as varietal alicante. Spicy aromas with a little leather and red fruit. On the palate, it's a rather surprising wine. There's an initial balanced hit of acidic red fruit with a distinctly sweet red-fruity mid-palate and a very lush texture. That fades off into soft, silky tannins and acidic red fruit at the finish. Day 2 (sitting on the kitchen counter overnight with cork in bottle) gave a very similar flavor profile with little evidence of oxidation.
Overall, not bad stuff. If it hadn't been for that overly sweet mid-palate, this would have been a really good bottle. As it was, it made for an interesting curiosity that was worth drinking.
Mike