Tinto y Blanco » Yecla

Estio Rosado 2007

Dave Worthington — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:43:48 +0000

Just a quick note on this one, it’s the second last rosado in the pile. Rose wine is a great drink, but really tasting it and writing up notes kind of misses the point. It’s for drinking, not thinking in my book.

Estio made from 70% Monastrell with a bit Tempranillo and Syrah.

Bright red/pink in colour, it’s quite a striking colour. The nose is up front and straight forward: strawberry and a touch of soft plum, a bit of wild herbs. It’s quite juicy and fresh with some crunchy acid. Plenty to like on the palate, strawberry and raspberry fruit with some minerals and earthy herbs. Great drinking at this price. 87 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Cost: $19 Closure: Conventional Cork

Dominio Espinal Rosado 2007

Dave Worthington — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:52:52 +0000

I ventured out to the Forum last night to see Supergrass. I’ve been a fan for a long time, in fact I Should Coco would be in my all time, top 5 albums. The lads are in top form (apart from Gaz’ amp playing up) and the new tracks are excellent live. I think they played half of I shoud coco, so I came home a very happy man. We had a glass of this before heading off to the gig.

Dominio Espinal is made from monastrell in the highlands in Yecla. This is very similar to the 2005 I tasted last year, consistency in a rose is always a good thing. You don’t want to think too much about it when you grab it from the fridge.

I love the colour of this wine, it doesn’t come out well in the jpeg (bloody photoshop!) but it’s a bright red. The nose if full of red cherry and strawberry with toffee apple and an earthy/gamey note. Some of the descriptors here will sound sweet, the wine is very much in the dry rose spectrum with sweet fruit and candy aromas and flavors. It’s well balanced with a little grip, which I like in rosado. It’s very tight when chilled, but let it warm up and it’s got a broad textured feel which is where the sweet spot is. Light cherry and apple in the mouth, I can’t seem to get the Toffee Apple character out of my head with this wine. A long finish with tangy apple skin. Very good for days when you don’t want something too cold (like now in Melbourne) 88 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price: Around $18 Closure: Synthetic Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Other Vintages: 2005

Bodegas Castano Monastrell 2005

Dave Worthington — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:10:13 +0000

I've been fairly critical of wines made using carbonic maceration. The smell of burnt rubber isn't really something that I want in a wine. This one gets it right, not a hint of Dunlop's finest here. The result is a wine with fresh juicy fruit that's very easy to drink.

Bright ruby in colour. Aromas of grilled meats, blackberry bubble gum and white pepper. Bright fruit in the mouth, with fuzzy tannins and cranberry like acid. Juby blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Really well done. 89 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price: $18 Closure: Synthetic Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Bodegas Castano Celeccion 2003

Dave Worthington — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:36:34 +0000

I need a wine to with a steak the other day and pulled this out of the tasting pile. Its a good thing I did, this has everything you want in a good steak wine. Its a blend of 80% Monastrell and 20% Cabernet that sees 15 months in new French and American oak.

Very dark in the glass. The nose gets things to a cracking start with vanilla and mocha, with earthy, tart cherries and blueberries. Tight, but well structured, plenty of nice dusty tannins and very good balance. On the palate there is some great fruit: boysenberry, tart cherry, with liquorice, musk, sage. A really long finish tops of the package. I like this a lot, good value at $35 too. 91 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price: $35 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Dominio Espinal Rosado 2005

Dave Worthington — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:12:08 +0000

Here is the second Rosado, this one is from the other end of the country. From southern Spain, Yecla to be exact. Made from 100% Monastrell. As you would expect, it is a very different style than the Coto de Hayas. Deeper red colour, light cherry and spice, but still very drinkable all the same.

This shows up quite dark for a rose, a crimson red colour. You could almost fool people into thinking your drinking Pinot. The nose oozes light red fruits, fresh cherry and strawberry, with toffee and earth. Well balanced, savory with sweet fruit. Full of flavour and fruit in the mouth, red cherry, fresh apple and tangy Toffee Apple lollies (from the Redskin family). The finish is crisp and is long finish too. The thing I really like about this wine is that you don't need to chill it to death, the flavours a great with a bit of warmth without getting bitter as some roses do. 88 Pts.

Source: Toro/Woods wines Price: Around $18 Closure: Synthetic Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Bodegas La Purisma Trapio Monastrell 2003

Dave Worthington — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 22:15:58 +0000

I have a couple of Monastrells to have a look in the next few days, 03 and 05 both look great for this style. I loved the 02 of this wine, but the 03 has really gone up a rung or two. Its a very clean and fresh style that makes a red that goes well in the warmish weather, as well as the cold. I've been told a number of times that Monastrell and areas like Yecla and Jumilla aren't well received in Spain. I'm not sure how true that it is, but wines like this must surely turn the tide?

Deep and dark in colour, the nose is open right from the start: dark cherries, raspberry, earth and a bit of pepper and woody herbs. Very adult on the palate, savory, smooth, with soft tannins and and a prick of acid. The palate is more complex than the 02, still that lip smacking tart cherry fruit with animale, espresso coffee, nutmeg and pepper. Due to the light Oak treatment, there aren't any overt oak notes. A ripping Monastrell, that would convince many people that great things can be done with this grape. 91 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $40 Closure: Conventional Cork

Bodegas Castano Monastrell 2004

Dave Worthington — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 21:30:11 +0000

Here is an interesting little number, a Monastrell from Yecla that has had 40% carbonic maceration and 60% traditional. If you've tried monastrell and written it off as a bit weird, have a look at this one, I think it will change your mind.

Deep ruby in colour, the nose starts of with sweet red cherry and adds white pepper and violets as the wine opens up. Soft and approachable in the mouth, but bursting with grape hubba bubba (bubble gum), cranberry and juicy blackcurrant flavours with a good wack of leafy herbs for added complexity. The fuzzy tannins build to a good texture and there is a bit of acid to keep everything moving. The finish is quite long with a liquorice tang. Possibly the most interesting wine I've had this year, and an absolute bargain at $17. 88 Pts

Source: Winestar Price: $17 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Bodegas Castano Gran Decarada Monastrell 2004

Dave Worthington — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 08:05:16 +0000

Monastrell has an animal/gamey quality that people either love or hate. This one has a little bit of it, but much more restrained and is more about ripe fruit and tannin than many of the other monastrells that I have had I a look at. Bodegas Castano are one of the big names in Yecla, so they know their Monastrell.

An Inky deep red colour. Dark fruits of the nose with a hint of game and walnut. Quite full bodied in the mouth, with ripe dark plums and a slight gamey taste, finished off with some spice. A raisin influence in the mid palate appear with more air time. Nicely balanced with fine, chalky tannins. A kind of "European International" wine, you can tell its from the Old World, but there is almost a Cote du Rhone quality about this wine. Good stuff and a wine I think is very appealing. 87 Pts

Source: Importer Sample Price: Around $20 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.bodegascastano.com

Importer: Toro Wines/Wood Wines

Valcorso Cultivo Ecologico Monastrell 2005

Dave Worthington — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 04:36:32 +0000

Like most wine growing areas in the world, Spain has a number of producers that are looking towards the use of organic principles in the vineyard and winery. This is one of the many organic or Cultivo Ecologico wines getting around. From the small about of press I have on it, the vines used for this wine are on average 20 years old and there is no mention of oak at all.

I have found that Monastrell is a variety that people either love or find the wine a bit odd. I like it.

Lighter than expected, a rich ruby colour. On the nose we have dark berry fruits with some woody herbs. In the mouth there is dark cherry with a jammy, dried fruit flavour that I can't put my finger on, perhaps fig or date. There is some animal type funk and a nice herby finish. Very smooth and well balanced,tannin is in the background with a good wack of acid. I liked it a lot, good value at around $20. 87 Pts.

Source: Retail Price: $21 Closure: Conventional Cork

Bodegas La Purisma Trapio Monastrell 2002

Dave Worthington — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 23:29:32 +0000

You've probably heard it all before, Monastrell is the Spanish name of Mourvedre. It is apparently the origin of the stuff. Blah blah blah. I won't bore you with all that.

This is one of the new wave co-op wines that shows real class. The vines for this wine are 70 years old and are grown their own root stock. Yelca is a very high region, these vines are at 1000 meters apparently.

Really inviting nose of dark cherries and earth. Savory palate. smooth, but noticeable tannins and biting acid. Not an overly complex palate, but lip smacking tart cherry fruit, a bit of an animally aspect adds interest. No overwhelming oak influences, it sees 6 months in 50% new and 50% 1 year old french oak. Very satisfying and moreish. 89 Pts.

Source: Retail Price Range: $40 Closure: Cork