A Nice Monastrell to Celebrate

Hécula Monastrell 2010 | Yecla, Spain
Bodegas Castano

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”]Mrs. Dan bought this little gem. Fitting that we opened it tonight to eat with some Pappa John’s pizza to celebrate Michigan’s managing to survive a close game with Akron. Shades of Appy State. But they held out.

This wine when first open has some nice lush fruit but offset by some minerality. I would best describe this wine as dense at the start, not to say that’s bad. I was telling Mrs. Dan that it had maybe some mineral lime notes. Then I read the label and it said this wine is grown at high altitude in old vineyards with limestone soil. The taste reminds me of the water in Botetourt County, Virginia, where I used to live. As it opens up the wine becomes less limey.

Mrs. Dan picked it up for two reasons, the name sounded cool, almost like Hercules, and it was about $6.89 at Costco. Definitely a Cheap Wine Bastard selection. Generally I don’t buy wines at Costco because I like to support the local wine shops. But I can’t stop Mrs. Dan.

As it opens it takes on almost pomegranate notes yet a bit more lush fruit. It is much less dense.

Before it opened up it was fantastic with the chicken, onion, green pepper and mushroom pizza I ordered before the Auburn game kicked off.

I like this wine. The minerality is gone now. Mrs. Dan did good. She likes it.

The label says “The Castano Family is today one of the most respected ine producers in south-eastern Spain. Their roots can be traced many generations back in Yecla, a small wine region in the north of Murcia.”

This is 100% Monastrell, a grape you don’t see at many tastings. They follow up with “Hecula’s fruitiness and brief aging play the essential role in this modern wine.

I would say this is a bit more modern wine that the Spanish wines I’ve had before. We’ll I’ve tried to limit myself to two glasses so I can have room for a brew or something for the Auburn game. That’s next. I hope I get to celebrate at the end of that game as well.

Okay, update. I had a last sip to finish up. I’m using a glass. I could swear this wine has a fishy taste now. Mrs. Dan sipped it and agreed. I then sipped some from her ceramic wine mug and it tasted very nice. I might have to ponder that one. Nonetheless for under $7 I like it.

UPDATE 2: Drink this wine quick. The next day this wine was undrinkable. That fish taste was back big time. We couldn’t finish it.