Elo by Alberto Orte Monastrell 2014
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Robert
Parker -
Wilfred
Wong
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An elegantly fresh and juicy Monastrell wine. This is a Monastrell to enjoy, savor and sip. Due to its restraint and balance, Elo is an incredibly food-friendly wine. Ideal pairings include pastas with sausage, octopus, dishes heavy in green vegetables and lean meats. This wine also pairs perfectly with cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Elo, pure old-vine Monastrell from an old ungrafted vineyard on limestone-rich soils planted in 1973, fermented in open stainless steel pools for 28 days, during which time they were trodden twice per day. The wine aged in 500-liter French oak barrels for 12 days, followed by another year in a 2,000-liter cement vat. This is a wine that has surprised me over the last few vintages, and the 2014 is no exception. The nose is elegant and floral, and the wine shows the character of the grape, with some rustic tannins, and the place, especially the chalky texture of the tannins, quite faithfully. It's powerful and Mediterranean without overwhelming your senses. It has nice balance to be drunk now and develop nicely in bottle.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2014 Alberto Orte Elo is an excellent example of Monastrell. TASTING NOTES: This wine is long and persistent. Enjoy its bold and attractive aromas and flavors of red and black fruits with a thick slice of prime rib on the rare side. (Tasted: July 6, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2017-
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Elo is the ancient name of today's capital of Murcia, built in the 7th century. It is also a nod to what was once part of the vinification history of Yecla and its neighboring areas. Historically, the winemaking area of Alicante made wines that were fresh and bright with lower alcohol levels and restraint that made them easy to consume (and in large quantities, especially during the hot summer days). More recent winemaking practices in this area of Spain have gone to excessive maturation levels in order to achieve maximum extraction and concentration. Monastrell has a distinctive tannic character, and when overripe, lacks acidity and reaches elevated alcohol levels that deteriorate the freshness of Monastrell's floral, savory aromatics. When picking Monastrell with higher ripeness levels and using new oak, the sweetness of the barrels and the higher alcohol levels contrast the tannin structure in the wine and the inherent bitterness of the variety. However, it is possible to make an elegantly fresh and juicy Monastrell with terroir and lift. This is the inspiration behind Elo.
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
The Yecla DO sits between Jumilla and Alicante, near the Mediterranean coast of southeastern Spain and was granted official DO status in 1975. While once just a farming town, and later known as a furniture-making center, more recently, it is gaining notoriety for its red wine production.
A slow revolution in winemaking technology in Yecla since the 1980s, pioneered by small private wineries and cooperatives, has improved the quality of the region's red wines. The number of vineyards registered with the Regulatory Council is presently at about 6,000 hectares, and is still gradually increasing, a good indication that local producers are focused on quality. There are no official subregions, but the Campo Arriba district is well-known for producing grapes with more intensity and extract.
While Yecla produces a variety of wine styles, most are red wines based on single-varietal Monastrell or blends with other approved varieties such as Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Yecla is already proving great export potential with about 95% of its production sold outside Spain, in over 40 countries worldwide.