Casa Castillo Monastrell Jumilla

40 min decant. Still drinking well. Classically dry, smooth tannins. Good food wine.

That's what it is... Translucent Burgundian colour. Simple nose of strawberry candies. Still some oak. Watery mouthfeel with acidity to run a few years more. Lovely bitterness when finish. Any complexity? Oh yeah but far away from this :-) Para lo que es... Color borgoñón traslucido. Nariz simplota a palote de fresa. Todavía algo de madera. Sensación acuosa en boca con acidad para aguantar unos pocos años más. Rico amargor al acabar. ¿Alguna complejidad? Oh sí pero bien lejos de …

Dark cherry, medium bodied wine. Really needed to breath. Smooth and well balanced once it got a little air.

What is it good for? Scratchy new oak and little fruit. No.

A bit closed at first - better after a day or two in the fridge.

Not my favorite

I thought this was an excellent value. You can smell the fruit as soon as you pull the cork, but there are more tannins than you'd expect. I had this with burgers off the grill and sweet tomatoes, and it matched really well. Simple, yes, but enjoyable and a bargain.

Tried at tasting. Simple, medium-bodied, a bit boring.

- It's overly acidic and has flavours of artificial grape and strawberry with a medium body. Linear texture with a medium finish - Cheap red wine best served to people you don't like. I poured it out.

This seems a little more fruit forward then the previous vintage. However, it does have a slight chalkiness on the mouth from the tannins, and some spice. It over performs at the $12 price point, showing a serious side behind the juicy fruit, making it a great value.