With all due respect to Argentina, for my money, the best values in the wine world these days are coming out of Spain. Although I love great Priorat, Ribera del Duero, and Rioja, the true values in Spain are coming out of what I refer to as "the up and comers." This includes regions like Montsant, Calatayud, Bierzo, Yecla and even Toro, but probably the value leader in my eyes is Jumilla. This region, which is primarily making red wine from the Monastrell (Mourvedre in the rest of the world) varietal, is making a number of outstanding wines that retail in my $15 and under price category. Today's subject is an outstanding single vineyard wine from Bodegas Olivares that can be had for as little as $9. You've got to love a wine that only has one digit before the decimal point and still tastes great!
The Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Jumilla 2008 is grown in the Hoya de Santa Ana vineyard at an altitude of 2700', which is one of the highest in Jumilla. The high altitude keeps things a little cooler and gives the wine more time on the vine to develop without getting overripe, which is always a concern in Jumilla. In your glass, the wine is deep purple in color. The bouquet shows sweet cherry, black raspberry, and blueberry fruit with notes of licorice and spice. On the palate you get a mix of red and black berry fruit and nice acidity. There is also a wonderful minerality to this medium-full bodied wine that lingers on the finish. Although there is plenty of fruit, there are also many other dimensions that give this quite a bit of structure.
Overall, this Jumilla presents a fantastic value with much more complexity than you would expect from a wine that can be found for under $10 a bottle. At this price, it can just be sipped casually on its own, but this can also be enjoyed with grilled meats and would be a great accompaniment to authentic, smoky barbecue.
To see info on some other great values from Spain, see this link http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/search/label/Spain
Cheers!
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