2003 Bodegas Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas

Bodegas Castano is a 1,500-acre estate in the province of Murcia. It was started in 1975 when Ramon Castano Santa, a third-generation viticulturalist, acquired the first plots of land that would become the estate. By the early 1980s the estate was producing wine and by the 1990s his three sons were also a part of the operation. Bodegas Castano makes red, white and rosé wines under several labels. The estate is especially known for its Monastrell, which is the grape known in France as Mourvedre.

The Levant refers to the eastern region of Spain that follows the Mediterranean coast. The word literally means the “east coast.” Officially there are two autonomous regions within Levant, Communidad Valenciana and Murcia. The appellations within the Levant are Alicante, Utiel-Requena, Valencia, Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla. Once an area where winemaking was strictly utilitarian and mostly done to satisfy bottlers of bulk wines, the region is today home to numerous innovative wine projects, including one by Australian winemaking star Chris Ringland. Red wines from this region are made from Monastrell, which is known in southern France as Mourvèdre. The reds of this region tend to be intensely purple/red, with black fruit flavors and strong tannins.