EAST COAST PALATE

So I was eeny-meeny-ing through the bottles at home, and decided to open a bottle of Bodegas Castaño Hécula.  This is a wine comprised 100% of Monastrell, a.k.a. Mourvèdre grapes.  The region that it comes from -Yecla - is in Murcia, in the southeast of Spain, with two stellar winemaking D.O.s as its neighbors: Jumilla and Almansa.  These vines dig deep through limestone and gravel, and their efforts produce very concentrated flavors in the grapes at harvest time.  The 2005 vintage in this area wasn't exceptional but this wine is excellent.  
Its color is a deep reddish purple.  The raisin, dark cherry, and blackberry aromas on the nose yield to deeper layers of cedar, resin, and stone.  The mere act of smelling this wine brought up memories of putting resin on a violin bow as a kid, of walking into a woodshop, of eating fruit rollups. 
Even though this wine doesn't have much of a finish, it has substance and elegance.  The tannins are soft, yet pronounced.  There is a hint of spice.  The stony soil in which the vines grow even imparts a cool mineral feel to the taste and body of this wine.
This is a great bottle of wine...90-91 points and only $12 to $14.
The more I try the wines from Murcia, the more I feel compelled to go visit.  If you could visit one winemaking region in the world, where would you go...and why?

This bottle delivers a well made 100% Monastrell  (a.k.a. Mourvèdre) that is soft and elegant.  I picked this up a few days ago a Circle Wine in Chevy Chase for $18.  Really I had to get a wine from the Murcía region of Spain in honor of my friend Do's birthday.  This just so happens to be one of her favorites.
This wine's color is a rich, regal hue of purple.  The nose is dominated by earthy and stoney scents.  When I sniffed it first it reminded me of being in a cellar or a used book store.  The berry and anise aromas it has are subtle and quite inviting, too.
In the mouth this wine is fresh.  The minerality picked up on the nose definitely carries over into the flavor profile.  There's a hint of dark chocolate and berry, and plenty of acidity.  I've tried some Monastrells or Mourvèdres with more body and tannin (especially some of the French wines from the Bandol region), but I enjoy this bottle a lot.  For my palate it finds itself right on the B+/A- threshold.  If you're a fan of Côtes du Rhône wines, I think you would like this wine.