Getting to know the grape known in Spain as Monastrell (#worldwinetravel)

After the new World Wine Travel calendar was finalized last winter and bloggers got the green light to plan posts, I found a bottle of Ego Bodegas Goru Gold at our local World Market and bought it for three reasons:

1. Jumilla was on the docket for August.
2. The price was $14.99. (I actually paid less with my new member discount.)
3. The face of this chiseled and wild mountain man on the label spoke to me. That’s right, I was sucked into the marketing vortex.

Have you ever bought wine for reasons like these? No research. No recs. Just convenience and gut instincts.

This time, anyway, the gamble paid off. I was delighted by this Monastrell blend – especially by how food friendly it is – and I’m pleased to write about it for this month’s #WorldWineTravel Twitter chat about Murcia and Valencia, Spain, on Saturday 8/28, starting at 8 am Pacific/11 am Eastern time. If reading this in time, you’re invited to join us by following the hashtag.

What’s Monastrell?

Sounds like another new grape variety, right? Monastrell is actually the same grape as Mourvèdre, the dark-colored red grown in the southern Rhône Valley and southwest of France and frequently used as a blending partner to Grenache and Syrah in the classic GSM blend.

But as host Cindy Rynning of Grape Experiences cautions, don’t call Monastrell by its French name when you’re in Spain.

“Jumilla is the birthplace of Monastrell and boasts Europe’s single largest collection of 90-year- old ungrafted bush vines,” Cindy writes.

Monastrell accounts for around 80 percent of vines in the Jumilla Denominación de Origin (DO), a status granted to this important viticultural area in 1966. Though located in Murcia, on the Mediterranean coast of southeastern Spain, Jumilla has a continental climate consisting of dry, scorching heat in summer and freezing cold in winter, like that of Castilla-La Mancha to its west. However, vines on the elevated Meseta Central (central plateau) get some respite from the intense heat, and lime in the soil helps to retain moisture (Source: Wine-searcher).

Vines have been grown under these harsh conditions since Roman times. When the phylloxera pest struck vineyards in France and elsewhere in the late 19^th century, demand for Jumilla wine soared. But their luck avoiding the pest ran out in 1989. Ironically, perhaps, this adversity gave Jumilla winemakers a chance to modernize and refocus.

A modern-day story

Santos Ortiz, “of Spanish origin,” and Ioana Paunescu from Romania, are an example of the new breed of wine producers who have set up shop in Jumilla since the 1990s. Rather than inheriting an estate or hailing from a long family line of previous winemakers, the two started a winery “from scratch” in 2011 and boast of “doing the opposite to what the books tell you or what you see in the industry.”

“Ego Bodegas is not the culmination of a rich tradition inherited by its owners. Nor was it the result of a burning desire to develop the marvelous vineyards or a mission to learn about the amazing world of wine. Instead, it was born out of its partners’ passion and effort, what people call ‘Talent’ – the name of their first wine – who are united and committed, personally and professionally.” – Ego Bodegas

Their winery is located near the historic city of Jumilla. They have 86 acres of land, mostly planted to native varieties like Monastrell.

The wine – 2017 Ego Bodegas Goru Gold Red Blend, Jumilla DO
80% Monastrell, 15% Syrah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Estate-grown grapes macerate on their skins for 20 days and ferment at a controlled temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The wine spends 12 months in new and second-year American, French and Romanian oak barrels.

My tasting notes: Deep, opaque ruby in color. Dark cherry and blackberry on the nose with whiffs of mocha. On the palate, high acidity gives this wine a lot of lift and tannins give it structure and bite. I get cherry and pepper upfront, followed by mocha on a medium+ finish. Surprisingly elegant. Alcohol: 14.5%. Price: $14.99. This wine was selling for under $10 at Costco last spring. If you can find it, go for it. It’s a steal!

Suggested pairings: The producer recommends grilled red meats, stews, legumes, cured cheeses and sausage. In this particularly busy last week, I had to go easy-peasy, tried-and-true family meals – barbecued chicken one night, followed by meatball heroes the next day. Both worked well with this food-friendly red blend.

Intrigued by this part of Spain? Then check out these posts:

• Monastrell from Murcia and Valencia Paired with Lamb-Beef Burgers and El Taberno from Gwendolyn Alley at Wine Predator……Gwendolyn Alley
• Getting to Know the Grape Known in Spain as Monastrell from Linda Whipple at My Full Wine Glass.
• Rosados from Jumilla from Susannah Gold on Avvinare.
• Valencia Inspires My First Paella from Jeff Burrows at Food Wine Click!
• Light up the Grill and Open that Bottle of Jumilla Wine from Wendy Klik at A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• To Valencia with Sobrasada, Other Spanish Nibbles, and Enrique Mendoza Alicante La Tremenda Monastrell 2018 from Camilla Mann at Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Muscatel Sparkling Joy by 103-Year-Old Bodegas Reymos – First Wine Cooperative in Valencia, Spain from Pinny Tam at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings.
• Coca am Recapte and Chopo Jumilla Monastrell Rose on a Summer’s Day by Terri Steffes at Our Good Life
• 2018 Bodegas Juan Gil Jumilla + Bison Burgers by Martin Redmond at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• On Monastrell, Three Wines from D.O. Jumilla and Foods for Pairing by Cindy Rynning at Grape Experiences.

I