I intended to avoid Spain for this week’s Mourvèdre Monday. Three of the first 5 installments have been Spanish Monastrells and I wanted more variety. I had my sights set on opening either a Bandol or an Aussie bottle in my cellar. But I’ve been sick since last Monday and I’m just getting back to relative normalcy. I decided to open the cheapest bottle of Mourvèdre I have on hand, in case my palate wasn’t quite ready (it was fine). I know very little about this bottle other than it’s from the same producer as the Juan Gil 2007 I liked quite a bit. Oh, and it cost me less than six bucks so what did I have to lose? Next week I’ll do my best to bring something serious to the party.
Producer: Bodegas Juan Gil
Grapes: 100% Monastrell
Appellation: Jumilla (DO, Spain)
Vineyards: no info
Vintage: 2008
Winemaking: no info
Alcohol: 15%
Price: I paid $5.71 at Spec’s in Austin.
My tasting notes: On the nose it kind of pings around from Robitussin to earth & black pepper to blueberry-scented magic marker. On the palate it’s smooth-textured with dried cherry and blackberry fruit, a mineral component that makes me think of a wharf and a bit of a chocolate note at the end. Like many of the other reviews linked below, I get the black tea astringency. It’s kinda of like an unsweetened blackberry-flavored tea.
Overall impression: I don’t know that I’m really digging this one. If you’re looking for super-cheap bottles that aren’t bad, give this one a try. But for me, I’d rather drink something else. C
Free association:
More info:
88 points Jay Miller for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Other reviews at Palate Match, Fermented Reviews, The Small Wine Review, CellarTracker (avg. 81 pts) and Cork’d.
Anybody know the story behind the name? If so, please share.
Another average wine, eh! The name and label are pretty cool. I find it interesting that the masses score this an average of 81 and WA goes 88.
P.S. I love that you add the reviews from other sites, I’ve followed your lead and done the same (for recent reviews).
Josh
I used to be a Corporate Trainer and had tons of Mr. Sketch markers. I taught people ranging in age from 18-70, and in every class there was always one person who loved sniffing the Mr. Sketch markers. Occasionally someone would get so into it by the end of the day he’d have little rainbow-colored marks around his nose.
I kind of liked the 2007 Wrongo Dongo. It had a weird nose with barnyard and tar elements, but at least it was something different. I still hate the name, and as weird as the 2007 label was the 2008 is a marked improvement.
Hey Josh – Yeah, I haven’t had as many homeruns as I’d hoped so far on Mourvèdre Mondays. But stay tuned.
Benito – Loved those things as a kid. I hadn’t thought about getting them for the office. I wonder if they make a dry-erase model? Hmm.
I haven’t had previous vintages. And this isn’t a terrible wine, and it is different from your typical under $10 Cali/Aussie/S. American red. But life’s too short to drink “meh” wine.
The label is very nice actually. It’s similar to the Can Blau 2007 Montsant I reviewed a few months ago (also from the Jorge Ordonez portfolio). The material of the label is rather thick and is sort of texturized with some reflective metallics. I’ve noticed several Iberian wines with this sort of label. Volver was another one. A trend perhaps.
Holy crap! Is that what Wrongo Dongo looks like now? It makes me actually want to take it seriously. I just revisited my notes of when I went to Bodegas Juan Gil & tried their whole line up before Clio became a big deal.
A much-improved label for sure. The juice didn’t impress however.
Yeh, I think that you nailed this one (or is it Juan) right on the head…except for that “blueberry-scented magic marker” thing. Where did that come from? I bought a bottle because it happend to be on sale ($6.99) and I’ve been meaning to try it for months…because “I read some good things.” Well, after the first glasss I’m slightly disappointed – but not crushed. Hey, it was only seven bones! I’ll probably finish the rest of the bottle with some grilled squid and octopus tomorrow. Maybe that will usher in a new perspective.
Jorge – Thanks for the comment. I love to hear from people who’ve tasted the same wine. Sounds like we had a similar reaction. The magic marker smell is probably just the 15% alcohol showing. For some reason it put me in mind of those magic markers.