2001 Castano Hecula

[newsguy]

($9.99) bright ruby with a hint of purple. an earthy wine that delivers blackberries, pepper, leather, cassis and a hint of raspberry. medium mouthfeel, decent finish. this bottle of 100% mourvedre is quite tasty and ready to drink now. RP gave it a 91. i'd give it an 87. worth a try, especially at this price.

[stevebody]

We had the Hecula and the Solanera at Esquin (Seattle) a couple of weeks ago and offered them at a tasting with the Castell de Remei Gotim Bru. All three flew out of the store. The Hecula is still around at $8.99 a bottle but the Solanera is long gone at $10.00. I, too, question the lavish scores from R. Parker but I thought all three were fine, different stuff from those minor Spanish appellations. The Hecula, especially, reminds me of a really good Claret-style wine, light, complex, but with a delicate structure. Good stuff!