What I'm Drinking Tonight

Tonight being October 14th, Casa de la Ermita 2001 was the choice to start our taste buzz working. This red is a blend of Tempranillo, Monastrell (Spain's Mistress for Mouvedre) and Cabernet Sauvignon. I didn't even know they made a reserva until I looked into their site. I would kill to drink that jewel from 2001. The wine is grown in Jumilla, the name of the region and main town. The chalky soil sees temperatures that range from 106F in summer to 20F in winter. Monastrell is the grape here. It copes with the temperature extremes and is resistant to phylloxera. So when Spain was invaded by the disease, Monastrell didn't need any Americano grafts. As a regional wine producer, Jumilla has been looked down upon by the Spanish. That's changing fast. Jumilla is one of the most progressive wine regions in Spain. La Rioja and Ribera del Duero have been resting on their reputations somewhat and many regions in Spain are applying quality pressure. Spanish wines across the board are hot commodities. One of the 7(?) biblical predictions of Pope Robert Parker is that Spanish wines will be huge in the worldwide market in the coming years. Unfortunately, the prices of wines sanctified by the Pope's score ratings tend to rise exponentially. With the wines, we had a Spanish tortilla made of potatoes, onions, pimento and eggs. I had also marinated boneless lamb in sesame oil, garlic, parsley, ground coriander, tumeric and cumin which I then grilled. A 1999 Allende Rioja that has aged very well rounded out the meal.