Bodegas Castano Monastrell 2005

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

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

Bodega Enrique Mendoza Estrecho 2003

I've been in Sydney for the last couple of days and had a look around the "Spanish Quarter".   Hmmm… I can see why it is so confusing for many people to identify quality Spanish food and wine.  Most of the restaurants are reinforcing many of the myths about Spanish food and wine, a bit cheesy with average wine and loads of chili in the food (contrary to popular belief there is not a lot of chili in Spanish food, if it is used it's there for flavour not heat).  Good fun none the less and I found a good deli with excellent Jamon.  Thank god for places like Bodega, its a marvel.

Anyway, here is a very interesting Monatrell from Alicante.  This one is from a magnum, which is about the right size for this wine, it's highly drinkable and evolves constantly over a couple of hours.  The vines are up very high at 2300 ft and are over 50 years old.  The wine sees 14 months in 500 litre French oak barrels.  For the Brett nazi's, there is a bit of barnyard on the nose, but I don't think its brett related.  I decanted half of this into a 750ml bottle and will have another look tonight.

Dark reddish purple with cherry red towards the edge of the glass.  A lot of changes in the glass over the couple of hours I drank this, started off with pink musk sticks and cherry on the nose that built into blackberry, smoke, sage and rosemary, a bit of anise and barnyard and minerally earth.  It hovers in between medium and full bodied. Not rustic at all, rather elegant and refined. It does need a good decant to really show it stuff, but the evolution in the decanter is very interesting to watch.  Soft, chalky tannins build a velvety texture, with the acid to keep you mouth fresh.  On the palate there is tart blackberry and boysenberry with earth, herbs and some minerals.  Good length on the finish.  Well worth tracking down, probably the best monastrell I've had to date.  92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $140 (1.5 Ltr) $65 (750mls)

 Closure: Conventional Cork

Telmo Rodriguez Al Muvedre 2005

Each release of this wine has seen great improvement, this is definitely the best so far.  I can't tell if its good vintage conditions in 05, changes in wine making or something else completely. Alicante is in the province of Alicante, a bit closer to the coast than Jumilla and Yecla.  Not a lot of wine seems to make out of the D.O., but I notice that they grow Pinot Noir…

The 05 is a really smooth wine, with very good balance.  A purple/red colour in the glass, dark fruit, rose notes, earth and a few specks of pepper.  The alcohol is in balance with the fruit, the tannins are quite lush.  Medium bodied, but full of flavour. Very well priced too.  This will be great in autumn with a good stew.  87 Pts

Dominio Espinal Rosado 2005

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

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

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

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

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

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