Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Enaya – Essence Monastrell 2024
Yecla D.O. – Murcia, Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
100% Monastrell crafted from organic grapes, vegan-friendly, and showcasing Yecla’s sun-drenched Mediterranean terroir. A youthful, modern take on Spain’s classic variety.

Aromas & Flavors
Fresh berries, pomegranate, and red plum with subtle floral and herbal touches. Very pure fruit expression without heavy oak interference.

Mouthfeel
Light to medium-bodied, juicy, and approachable. Crisp acidity keeps it lively, while soft tannins make it an easy, refreshing sip.

Food Pairings
Perfect with tapas, grilled vegetables, charcuterie, or Mediterranean fare like lamb skewers with herbs. Also a great casual wine for pizza night.

Verdict
Fresh, youthful, and beautifully approachable, this organic Monastrell delivers lots of flavor with a clean, modern style. A delightful introduction to Yecla’s potential.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
A great value everyday Monastrell, lighter and fresher than its neighboring Jumilla counterparts, making it a standout for casual sipping and food-friendly versatility. Cheers! — 18 days ago

Patrick O Driscoll

9.1

A recommendation from the owner of this restaurant, wow a great guy, great customer awareness that engaged and built my loyalty. Get your self here and enjoy the fine wine great pasta creations by in house chef. Wine is great and comes as a recommendation to your chosen menu — 4 years ago

Erik Longabardi

9.5

Always a huge fan of Hardy and his creations. This just rips when you decant it four a couple of hours. It hits that floral, aromatic note but bends beyond that with spicy and savory notes. Hazy sunshine in a bottle — 4 years ago

Norman

9.0

Cadenhead’s Coleburn 19yr 1978 ABV 59.1% (Silent) - Whoa I’m calling this hot. It’s hot on the tongue and lips. Strong finish but it’s there in a big way so hard to get a lot of flavors picked out. — a year ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.4

On the nose, the rice is evident as well as a note I can only describe as concrete... On the palate, this one starts singing... Cantaloupe, pear, mineral... We enjoyed this one at Black Rice Izakaya and it played extraordinarily well with so many dishes with its substantial unami... One great experience was with one of their aburi sushi creations with salmon under a single slice of raw jalapeno... That raw jalapeno POPPED here with this sake in a way that didn't happen with other spicy items like wasabi... This sake was the highlight of my evening! — 3 years ago

with Anita

Aaron Tan

9.0

Remnants of a revolution

An oldie from one of my favourite saké producers, Hidehiko Matsumoto, who's been a maverick in the world of saké with his "interpretation" of traditions and championing of terrior. Sadly, this may well be the last bottle of Shuhari I get to drink considering Matsumoto-san's highly publicized departure from the family brewery (Sawaya Matsumoto) last year due to internal conflicts. Fret not! Matsumoto-san's got some exciting projects in hand (Suginomori Brewery being one of them), so it won't be long before we get to taste his creations again.

Golden in the glass, with aged aromas of soy and nuts looming over melon and peach notes. The palate's surprisingly energetic and youthful considering the maturity of the nose - rich and juicy with a light spritz and herbal undertones. Signature Shuhari texture (reminds me of white wine phenolics) and acidity in the bitter-sweet finish. Paired perfectly with our wagyu donburi. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Delectable - this is the Jane Eyre Hospices de Beaune Premier Cru. Not offered in your choices. Red and black cherries. Quite dense and flavoursome showing the ripe 2015 vintage. A juicy dark fruited Pinot Noir. Could easily be mistaken for a new World Pinot. Elevage by Jane Eyre an Australian winemaker who works in both Burgundy and Victoria. This is a good wine but not worth the $195 I paid. A wine that makes you wonder if Burgundy is worth double what you would pay for an equally as good a wine in Australia. One of JANE’s creations from the Mornington Peninsula is just as good. — 3 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.5

Dark, impenetrable black, explosive dark berry, juicy midnight cherry aromas boiling out of the glass. This is OG, throwback Cali zin conjured by a master. Actually more approachable than I anticipated, smooth silky sexy grape-ness. Balance is impressive, tannins come through in the finish… but round, not green or bitter. I remember falling in love with Joel Peterson’s masterful creations 30 years ago. Sometimes you can go home again. Well done Joel— I salute your life and work by raising a glass in your honor. This is some VGS! — 4 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.1

Menthol and oregano jump onto the nose directly from the bottle! Swirling encourages juniper added into this fresh herbal bouquet. High acid, will compliment spicy oil and vinegar herbed pasta creations with fresh tomatoes. Toast with warm herbed focaccia bread dipped in EVOO and balsamic. — 4 years ago

OMG PEDRO

9.4

Excellent BLEND Garnacha (mostly), Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah .... when I saw the blend and where it was cming from I thought to myself : “... How can I possibly Go wrong with this !!!?? “ ... And I was soooo right !!! BIG wine with intense flavors of dark fruit (especially blackberries, raspberries and plums), violets, pepper, herbs and spice. It borrows smoke, underbrush and eucalyptus from the Tempranillo. The sweet roundness of the merlot and the sharpness of the Syrah...ONLY missing a bit of complexity and mineral undertones but still a GREAT wine from an area that has been delivering truly amazing creations year after year and haven’t reach yet their full potential ... — 4 years ago