The 2024 Viña Elena "Bruma Paraje Marín" was wine critic Tim Atkin’s Value Red Wine of the Year for 2025, and I couldn’t agree more. Wildly expressive and bursting with youthful aromas of wild lavender, juicy blackberry, black plums and wisteria, the wine also has a nervy, exuberant energy – quite simply, it’s a joy to drink! Made from 100% Monastrell (better known as Mourvèdre in France and occasionally Mataro in the New World), this wine is a wonderful expression of the variety, which is thought to be native to Jumilla, where Viña Elena is located. Winemaker Elena Pacheco is the youngest of four sisters, and the daughter who most closely trailed her father in the vineyards and winery, absorbing the knowledge passed on from his own father, who planted the family’s vineyards. Her father’s business was mainly selling bulk wine, but in 2002, Elena bottled her first wine, named after her father. The family winery is located in Estrecho de Marín, a valley encircled by gentle, low-lying mountains at the southern edge of Jumilla. This Monastrell is sourced from several vineyards surrounding the winery, combining fruit from warm, west-facing slopes with that of cooler, east-facing sites. The wine is then fermented and aged in concrete vats to maintain its fresh, vibrant fruit character. There’s so much going on with this wine aromatically, yet on the palate it feels silky and refined, almost ethereal. The flavors glide across the palate effortlessly, supported by refreshing acidity and grippy, yet well-integrated tannins, and the finish just goes on and on. There’s also something darker and meatier lingering in the background: faint campfire, black licorice and freshly ground pepper, all very subtle, but just enough to add an intriguing component. This wine would be wonderful with a charcuterie board but also could stand up to spring lamb or grilled chicken, or even something more intense like a wild boar sugo. It would also be great slightly chilled on a warm day. This Monastrell is just so delicious and so drinkable, and I’m in agreement with Tim Atkin – it’s a stupendous value for the price.

Wild and expressive, this Monastrell opens with aromas of ripe blackberry, dark plum, and Mediterranean herbs, lifted by subtle notes of black pepper and warm earth. The palate is rich yet energetic, with dense dark fruit balanced by fresh acidity and a distinct mineral edge from the region’s limestone soils. Fermentation in concrete preserves the wine’s purity, giving it a vibrant, lifted texture and savory depth. For customers who love bold reds but want something with more character than the usual Cabernet or Malbec, this is a perfect discovery bottle. It delivers the power and dark fruit people crave, but with the rustic charm, freshness, and sense of place that make Spanish Monastrell so compelling.