Special Report - September 22, 2018
Infinito 2012, Jumilla
I just had half last night and the other half tonight, and I would like to report to you about this wine before I forget.
75% Monastrell (Mourdévre), 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
$16.99 discounted from $75.00. WS 91 in April 2016
Jumilla used to produce, maybe still does, cardboard wine, €1 a bottle. I remember the brand Don Simon which used to be very pervasive in Spanish supermarkets and in the hands of skin-burned British tourists in some crowded Mediterranean Coast towns. What has happened in the last years to this wine?
Well, the people of the previously arcane, backward and poor region of Murcia have joined the 21st century. And they have discovered the jewel they were so blabantly mistreating. Catalans awakened decades earlier in Priorat, now it is the turn of the Spanish Mediterranean regions south of the Ebro river.
Jumilla is an in-land arid area with mid-height rocky hills and mountains. Although the daily sun can be terrifying, nights are cool thanks to an altitude of 900 metres (2,700 feet), giving the vines the opportunity for a well-deserved rest and to keep some acidity while they develop the flavors.
The very dry terrain allows growing the vines without any wires to lift them from the soil, in a very healthy and fungus-free environment. The scarcity of water requires sparsely planted vineyards.
This wine had an intense dark and impenetrable color. Lots of legs in the glass. There were a lot of different aromas and flavors of this wine. I noticed red plum, red orange, black cherry, all veering towards jam, and a hint of the mountain herbs that surround the vineyards. The taste showed dark chocolate and cola. Maybe some hint of cinnamon. In the sweet side but with enough acidity. The body was big. Yes, a big wine to drink with goulash or wild bore, or Murcian dry meats like chorizo or longaniza. I’d say that it might be great with Indian cuisine. Its powerful presence could stand those intense combinations of spices. The second day I tried it with several cheeses and it overwhelmed them all.
It is an intense wine that says “here I am”. Very Southern wine. I’d compare it to some Sicilian Nero D’Avolas. Good to drink now. I would not age it.
If you are purchasing a case, ask for help. The bottles are so heavy! The label is anti-appealing. Murcia still has to improve in design.
I would never pay $75 for this wine but definitively I would pay more than the $16.99 it is going for.
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