Best Wineries to Visit in Jumilla, Spain

I received an email from a reader recently asking which wineries I'd recommend visiting in Jumilla, Spain. Along with 7 other US wine bloggers I visited Murcia, Spain last summer which included the DOs of Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas. Jumilla is the most recognizable name amongst these so I went with that for the title of this post, but wineries in all three DOs are within striking distance and worth considering depending on your schedule.

Jumilla is in the southeastern part of Spain. The best airport to fly into is Alicante (ALC) which is serviced most commonly from the US through connections in Madrid and Amsterdam. Alicante itself is home to some noteworthy wines including Bodegas Volver and their new Triga wine. We stayed in Murcia which is about an hour from the Alicante airport and within 30-45 minutes of most of the wineries and vineyards we'd visit.

The DOs of Jumilla, Yecla, and Bullas are best reached through
the Alicante airport (ALC) and the city of Murcia

Murcia is the home of Monastrell, a grape variety with deep roots here crafted in a bold fruit forward style. When done well it results in big wines which are amazingly well balanced with refreshing acidity. For me, they're the best next step for exploration if you've developed an affinity for Napa Cabs and you're looking to branch out.

Cathedral of Murcia

The region has evolved in the past twenty or so years from being mostly a producer of bulk wines to being a reliable source of spectacular fine wine values. Along with that, wine tourism in the region has emerged with a an array of tasting rooms and restaurants worth visiting. Check out these Wine Routes in the Region of Murcia from the Instituto de Turismo de la Región de Murcia to connect the dots and start planning your visit (we were hosted by the Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia, the government agency responsible from promoting the region). It was a trip I'll never forget.

Here are five producers to visit...

1. Bodegas Juan Gil/El Nido

Tasting room at Bodegas El Nido

The wines of El Nido are the class of the region and no visit to Jumilla would be complete without tasting them. Tasting El Nido Clio and El Nido proper steps from where it's produced is an amazing experience.

Juan Gil and El Nido are separate wineries within walking distance of each other and a visit there would likely be facilitated through the same host. The great thing about their portfolio is the diversity and value at every price point.

Wines to taste:

• Juan Gil silver label
• Juan Gil 18 Meses blue label
• El Nido Clio
• El Nido proper

http://www.bodegasjuangil.com

2. Bodegas Castaño

Bodegas Castaño's Dominio Espinal

We tasted the wines of Bodegas Castaño over lunch in the vineyards of Dominio Espinal. What was amazing about this experience was that I first came to know their wines through their ultra-affordable (~$7) Monastrell. Getting to know the remarkably down to earth people behind their wines made me like their wines even more.

Wines to taste:

• Entry level Monastrell (best $7 wine on the planet?)
• Entry level Rosado
• Casa Cisca (incredible heavy bottled blockbuster effort that rivals El Nido Clio)

There are a variety of visits available depending on how much time you have and the size of your group:

http://www.bodegascastano.com/en/wine-tourism/visits

3. Barahonda

Winery, tasting room, and restaurant at
Bodegas Senorio de Barahonda

Charming La Castañona residence adjacent to Barahonda

I loved everything about our visit to Barahonda. It was both one of the most polished wineries and at the same time the most down to earth. The people behind the winery are some of the kindest, sharpest, and most authentic we met on our visit.

Wines to taste:

• Barahonda Barrica (readily available, affordable, WA 92)
• Heredad de Candela (great story, amazing wine)
• Zona Zepa (another blockbuster, very hard to find)

Check out their on-site restaurant for lunch:

http://barahonda.com/en/

4. Bodegas Luzón

Bodegas Luzón tasting room

Bodegas Luzón Crianza - recommended!

Bodegas Luzón is one of the more established wineries in the region. You're likely to see at least one of their wines on your retailer's shelves even if their assortment of Spanish wines is limited.

The visit is notable for its polished entrance, refined underground cellars, and the value proposition of their wines.

Wines to taste:

• Luzón Monastrell
• Luzón Selección 12 Crianza

http://www.bodegasluzon.com/ingles/luzon-vinos-tienda.php

5. Bodegas Carchelo

Bodegas Carchelo's Director of Enology Joaquín Gálvez

Winemaking lab at Bodegas Carchelo

If I had $1,000 and could invest in a single winery in the region it would be Bodegas Carchelo. And that's mostly due to the knowledgeable groundbreaking enthusiasm their Director of Enology Joaquín Gálvez shares with visitors.

Their lab is front and center in their winemaking facility, which denotes the fact that they're making data-driven decisions on how to continuously improve the quality of their wines. Their current releaes are an attractive slightly modern interpretation of Monastrell, but Gálvez (ex-Luzon) says that Tempranillo and Syrah, if sited properly, can do very well in the region. Definitely keep your eye on Bodegas Carchelo over the next five to ten years.

Typical charming square in Murica, Spain

I hope this is helpful if you're planning a trip to this part of Spain and have a chance to include some wine tasting during your visit. If you have questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me an email (wellesleywinepress@gmail.com) or reach me on Twitter: @RobertDwyer

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Wellesley Votes "Yes" on Retail Wine at Grocery - What's Next?

Our fair Wellesley quietly held town elections yesterday and included a single important but confusingly worded ballot question:

"Shall an act passed by the general court in the year 2014, entitled 'An Act authorizing the town of Wellesley to place a question on the town election ballot authorizing the town to grant 6 licenses for the sale of wines and malt beverages not to be drunk on the premises', be accepted?"

I had to reach out to Townsman reporter Jordan Mayblum for clarity on what this measure would mean if approved. He clarified that its passage would allow the town to issue licenses to as many as six grocery stores in Wellesley to sell beer and wine.

The results are in and the response was overwhelmingly positive: 2,248 "yes" to 336 "no".

So where do we go from here?

The grocery store behind the passage of this initiative was Fells Market. It's my walking-distance go-to spot for sandwiches, steak tips and more and I'm looking forward to them selling wine as I'm sure many in our neighborhood are:

Katsikaris said Fells Market would prob focus on wine w/ some craft beer. (And Yuengling, because I asked about it specifically)#Wellesley
— Jordan R. Mayblum (@TownsmanJordan) March 5, 2014

I think they could do a bang-up special order business. And they could probably do really well with focused email offers too thanks to their super-convenient location to thirsty townspeople.

But what about Whole Foods and Roche Bros?

Changes at the state level play into the dynamics of which other stores in town will likely apply for licenses. Back in 2011 laws limiting the number of liquor licenses any given entity can hold changed and the following schedule will allow grocery store chains to sell liquor at more of their locations:

• 2011: 3 licenses per corporation
• 2012: 5 licenses
• 2016: 7 licenses
• 2020: 9 licenses

I don't think Wellesley is one of the top 5 or even 7 Whole Foods locations in the state they'd target for wine sales, but perhaps top 9. We shall see.

Roche Bros supermarket does seem like a likely candidate however given that the Wellesley location is one of their newer and larger stores.

But I think the most interesting development here is yet to come. I think this paves the way for an exciting new gourmet grocer or two to make a play here in town. I wrote this for The Swellesley Report in 2012:

A high quality retail wine boutique/gourmet grocery could be an asset to the town in a similar manner as John Dewar Meats, Wasik’s Cheese Shop and Blue Ginger. And who wouldn’t love the convenience of picking up some vino at the Wellesley Whole Foods along with the rest of your groceries?

Who do you think could make this kind of play? Formaggio Kitchen? Wasik's in a new location? A new retailer we haven't yet heard of? A mini-Eataly? What do you think?

It's rare to get an opportunity to cover a truly Wellesley wine-related topic here on The Wellesley Wine Press. But isn't it comforting to know this important coverage exists? ;) I'd love it if you subscribed to the site to keep up with future developments. If Wellesley isn't exactly on your radar screen maybe you'll enjoy this slideshow of the Best (and Worst) Wines to Buy Now at Trader Joe's. Or this list of grocery stores in Massachusetts that already sell wine.

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Targeted and regional: $20 off $100 at Total Wine via AmEx Sync

Some American Express cardholders are seeing an offer from Total Wine in their accounts. To check if you're eligible for the offer, log into your American Express account and check the "Offers for You" tab for your card(s). If it is, activate the offer and when you charge $100+ at Total Wine you'll automatically receive a $20 statement credit.

These AmEx Sync deals can be nice because they're based on whether your AmEx account is charged with anything greater than or equal to $100. This in turns enables stacking of other coupons and deals to get an additional 20% off whatever other best deal you can finagle.

It's also worth noting that with gift card purchases usually qualify which would enables spreading out purchases over time.

But the deal isn't valid online and it's only valid in FL, CA, NM, AZ, and NV. So I sense that the offer is targeted to American Express cardholders in those states even though, y'know, humans have evolved to the point where they can travel and what not.

I've reached out to Total Wine to see if they might be willing to offer a WWP discount code we can all take advantage of.

Hat Tip: Travel with Grant

Further Reading:

• Building the perfect case at Total Wine Naples, FL
• A visit to Total Wine and a Value Alert

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Have you met Juan Gil's big brother?

Sandwiched between the Juan Gil silver label ($16 release price) and El Nido Clio ($45) is an interesting wine. The blue labeled Juan Gil 18 Meses (months) carries a release price of $35.

While visiting Spain last summer I saw this bottling at several restaurants but I never had a chance to taste it. Although we tasted at Juan Gil, and El Nido, and at a couple of restaurants where wineries would bring their wines I never got a chance to try the blue labeled Juan Gil.

I sensed that was due to production levels (15,000 for the silver label vs. 2,500 for the blue label) as much as QPR proposition. By QPR I mean - if this is just a bigger/better version of Juan Gil why pay twice as much for it? Especially if you can get Clio for just a little more?

But I had a chance to try the Juan Gil 18 month blue label recently and I was impressed.

The composition is more similar to El Nido than Juan Gil proper. Whereas Juan Gil silver label is 100% Monastrell, El Nido Clio is 70% Monastrell/30% Cabernet. Juan Gil blue label is 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet, 10% Syrah. And it comes together brilliantly. The 18 Meses denotes the 18 months the wine spends in oak barrels (vs the 12 for the silver label and 4 for an even more affordably labeled wine that sees no distribution in the US). And whereas some old vine Monastrell can come off as raisiny and/or pruney this wine never goes anywhere near that territory. It's a gorgeous effort.

Here are my notes on the 2010 blue label...

2010 Juan Gil 18 Meses Blue Label
$35 Release Price
15.5% Alcohol

Gorgeous nose of expressive rich blackberry, vanilla, and blueberry. Deftly avoids veering into boozy territory, especially on the palate, as it reigns it in with a clean, taut mouthfeel that's not overly plump yet still velvety. Really hard to do and something I've seen Juan Gil/El Nido Clio do well consistently. An extraordinarily finely crafted wine.

93/100 WWP: Outstanding

CellarTracker
Wine-Searcher

Conclusion and Recommendations

Definitely give the Juan Gil 18 Meses blue label a whirl if you can catch this in the mid-$20s. I think this is a very nice member of the Juan Gil family that fits squarely between the ever-delicious Juan Gil silver label in the $10-$15 range and the amazing El Nido Clio you can find in the mid-$30s.

Do you like hearing about great value wines like this? I'd love it if you subscribed to The Wellesley Wine Press so we can keep in touch.

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