Bodegas Olivares (500 ml) 2017 Dulce Monastrell, Jumilla DO

Bodegas Olivares (500 ml) 2017 Dulce Monastrell, Jumilla DO

Item Number: 16267

UPC: 8-437001433292

Country: Spain
Region: Murcia
Sub Region: Jumilla
Appellation/AVA: Jumilla DO
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2017
Grape(s): 100% Monastrell
Type: Wine - Dessert
Bottle Size: 500 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 16
Residual Sugar(g/L): ~200 g/L
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Sand and chalk
Elevation: 825 meters

Terroir Notes: The Monastrell grapes come from the northern part of Jumilla, which offers superior growing conditions to that of southern Jumilla. The vineyards are at a higher elevation, and the sandy soils make ungrafted vines possible. The Olivares Dulce Monastrell is sourced from old, pre-phylloxera ungrafted vines planted between 1872 and present.

Winemaking Notes: The oldest vines of the estate retain their fruit late into the autumn each year. They are allowed to raisin to obtain astonishing levels of richness. The grapes are manually harvested. Partial fermentation occurs; it is stopped by the addition of around 2% alcohol. Maceration with the skins lasts more than 30 days. The wine is bottled the June after the harvest and aged in bottle before release.

Tasting Notes: This is a sweet red wine. The Olivares Dulce shows tremendous concentration, persistence, and balance. Complex and enticing, the aroma of figs, dates, and ripe fruits can be smelled with intensity and freshness. It combines perfectly with all kind of desserts, specifically those made with chocolate, and for contrast, with blue and aged cheeses.

Reviews

  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 93+ (9/10/2020)
    The notes of tomato vine and black olives are always a giveaway for their sweet Monastrell, of which I tasted the 2017 Dulce Monastrell, a sweet wine that has the tannin and structure of the dry red wines from the region balanced by some 230 grams of acidity and fortified to 16% alcohol. The tannins and alcohol make the wine come through as balanced and not as sweet as you might imagine given the amount of sugar it has. This is bottled unoaked and matured exclusively in bottle. It's the Mediterranean alternative to a young Ruby Port.
  • The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 94 (4/29/2022)
    I just love the expressive nose of tomato vine, Mediterranean herbs and black olive of the 2017 Dulce Monastrell, a sweet fortified red I had already tasted and which seems to be evolving at a glacial pace. It has the tannin and structure of the dry red wines from the region, balanced by some 230 grams of acidity and fortified to 16% alcohol. The tannins and alcohol make the wine come through as balanced and not as sweet as you might imagine given the amount of sugar it has. This is bottled unoaked and matured exclusively in bottle. It's the Mediterranean alternative to a young Ruby Port.
  • Decanter
    Rating: 92 (10/15/2022)

    Olivares has an impressive expanse of old-vine, ungrafted Monastrell. The standout is its sweet wine. Fermentation is stopped to give balance of 16% alcohol and 200g/L residual sugar. It's all about fruit and its lower alcohol and layers of figs, dark fruit and licorice, make it a bargain buy.