Juan Gil Jumilla 2008

I've said it before and I'll say it again. With all due respect to Argentina, the best values in the wine world these days are coming out of Spain. Spain is a country whose winemaking pedigree goes back thousands of years. Until recently most parts of Spain including Jumilla, were focused on quantity rather than quality and although they produced a lot of wine, the wine itself was mostly made by large industrial cooperatives destined for a box or a jug.

Jumilla is one of many up and coming regions in Spain that I just love for great values. It was one of the last regions in Europe to be hit by the phylloxera bug and the plague that hit it actually resulted in some good. After being devastated by phylloxera in 1989, Jumilla's production was reduced to one third of what it was, and the local growers and bodegas quickly had to find a way to transform their business. Some of them had the crazy idea of selling less but better wine with a focus on fine wine instead of bulk production. In a way, phylloxera almost forced the local wineries to focus more on quality. I'm here to say I'm happy it happened.

Although the D.O. allows some other grape varieties, 85% of what is grown in Jumilla is Monastrell. This is a native Spanish grape that is called Mourvedre in France and most of the rest of the world. Monastrell based wines tend to be big, ripe, and fruity, and at their best there can be a lot behind all that great fruit.

The Juan Gil Jumilla 2008 is a deep, dark, purple-red in color. The Monastrell grapes are harvested from 40 year old vines (some of the lucky wines that made it through the phylloxera invasion) grown in chalky, rocky soils, and the wine is aged for 12 months in French oak before bottling. The nose brings aromas of blackberry and black raspberry with a hint of blueberry jam and leather. In your mouth the dark berry fruit is just fantastic and is joined by some black cherry flavors. Some structure is provided by the tannins that follow all that juicy fruit. The fruit rides these tannins like a slow-building wave into a finish that has some length to it.

I had the Juan Gil Jumilla with a big old juicy cheeseburger and somehow I just love Jumilla with burgers. It would also work great with any grilled red meats or even some authentic smoky BBQ. At a price of around $14, this is a really good value, and it breaks my own personal norm of generally not liking wines that are 15% alchohol or more. I definitely recommend letting this decant for an hour or so before drinking, but if you give it some breathing time it's really tasty.

Cheers!

Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Jumilla 2008

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!

Finca Luzon Altos de Luzon Jumilla 2005

Jumilla is one of those great up and coming regions in Spain that is filled with fantastic values. This offering from Finca Luzon, who was one of the quality pioneers in the region, is an outstanding example of what you get from Jumilla and the Monastrell (Mourvedre in France) grape. This grape, which was known for centuries as a bulk wine grape in Jumilla is now producing excellent quality red wines either on its own or blended with other red grapes.

Made with 50% Monastrell, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Tempranillo, the 2005 Altos de Luzon Jumilla is intense, dark purple in color. On the nose you get blackberry, blueberry jam, and plum with notes of cinnamon. In your mouth the wine is fruit forward with intense dark fruit flavors similar to the nose with a very subtle earthiness to it as well. The wine has decent acidity and some very nice tannins that provide some structure. The finish is delicious and long. This is what the new Jumilla is all about - intense fruit, some structure, and delicious. At a price of $15.99 it is also a very good value.

I had this wine with a big, juicy cheeseburger on the grill and it was a perfect pairing. It would also be very nice with barbecued ribs. Whatever you decide to have it with, make sure you give the wine sufficient time to decant. I recommend at least two hours in decanter or pour through a Vinturi wine aerator. Yes these things do work. Cheers!