On Board-O’s recommendation of a producer of Spanish Wines in one of these threads, I picked up a Spanish Wine (Panrroz 2006 Jumilla) from Wine Exchange. It cost me 8 bucks, but man alive, it tasted more expensive than that. The aroma was absolutely pleasant (almost like a strawberry Jolly Rancher – sorry fellas, that’s the scent I got). On the palate, it was absolutely tasty. The fruit was there but not overpowering. I thoroughly enjoyed it. That’s the best I can honestly do with my own tasting notes, right now.

It's hard to find a bad wine from Jumilla. Glad you liked it.

If it's not 'out of line', I would also recommend you try the Juan Gil.

I'd be interested in your thoughts upon drinking that, and its' comparison to the Panrroz.

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:
If it's not 'out of line', I would also recommend you try the Juan Gil.

I'd be interested in your thoughts upon drinking that, and its' comparison to the Panrroz.

I'll do that.

Sancho - that's a very nice wine sure enough and especially at that price. It's one of the best buys around IMO.. If you like that, you're in luck because the area wasn't really doing much for years until a few growers decided to see if they could attract soem of the press and customers that the rest of Spain was enjoying.

So today there are several wines from the area that you may enjoy, including the wines from Julia Roch e Hijos Casa Castillo, Altos de la Hoya by Olivares, Agapita Rico Carchelo, Castillo de Jumilla by Bodegas Bleda, and the Bodegas 1890 Mayoral, among others. Most are available for under $15 and even under $12 if you look, and most are all or majority monastrell. They need to be 85% to be labeled as such. Since the area isn't really all that trendy, the prices for these things are still very reasonable.

Monastrell can have fairly unique aromatics and most of those I mentioned have at least a touch - sometimes a blueberry quality but very often a distinct leathery note. When fermenting, it's one of the most identifiable grapes. Cleaner winemaking, as represented by the list above, has eliminated a lot of the funky aromas that used to be associated with the grape, but you still pick it up often.

For a few bucks more, if you really like the grape, you can look at Las Gravas, also from Casa Castillo, which has a good shot of both cab and syrah as well, or from Valencia, try Uno by Rafael Cambra - it's 100% monastrell. Those last are two of the best for my money.

It's a great grape IMO. From Spain as well as other countries. Cheers.

Here's a few more.

Other good buys from Spain

Fellas, I'm much obliged for the suggestions.

I like how many Spanish wines have a more rounded vanilla oak flavor due to the extra barrel aging.

Thy don't just shove their wines out the door, they nurture them a little more.

I have had the Agapita Rico Carchelo and Panarroz; both delicious QPR wines for around $10. Fantastic with BBQ!

quote:

Originally posted by GregT:
Sancho -
So today there are several wines from the area that you may enjoy, including the wines from Julia Roch e Hijos Casa Castillo, Altos de la Hoya by Olivares, Agapita Rico Carchelo, Castillo de Jumilla by Bodegas Bleda, and the Bodegas 1890 Mayoral, among others.
For a few bucks more, if you really like the grape, you can look at Las Gravas, also from Casa Castillo, which has a good shot of both cab and syrah as well, or from Valencia, try Uno by Rafael Cambra - it's 100% monastrell. Those last are two of the best for my money.

GregT,

I went to WineEx to pick up some more Panarroz Jumilla for Mother’s day, but they were out. Instead though, I picked up a few bottles of the Altos De La Hoya, Jumilla. However, I did not see anywhere on the label the “by Olivares” that you mentioned. It threw me a little bit, but I bought it anyway. Nonetheless, I hope it goes over well with my lady and the rest of the Mothers at the gathering.

Sancho - it's Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya.

Imported by Polaner.

A little more earthy than the Pannaroz but pretty good. Hope you like it! http://www.polanerselections.com/page.print.php?pID=954&prodID=849