Jumilla and Ginger Key Lime Saffron Shrimp

Wine: 2006 Bodegas Olivares Jumilla Panarroz
Meal: Ginger Key Lime Saffron Shrimp

Tasting notes on the wine:

Color: 5/5
Black plum, color bleeds to edge, good saturation and clarity.

Nose: 11/15
Black cherry, oak, licorice, cough syrup, sweet thyme. Sweet, fruity. There's a little burnt rubber that's a little off-putting. Nice, but not extraordinary.

Flavor: 6/10
Spicy and fruity, and oaky. A little one-dimensional. Mostly dark fruits on the palate, with something weird that I just can't put my finger on, but I don't care for it. It's okay. Nothing spectacular.

Finish: 7/10
Decent little finish, goes down smooth and calls the tannins out. Again, nothing special about it, just a lingering of the flavors across the palate.

Aging: 3/5
It may be too early. It's a young wine still, only a 2006. It might improve with time. There's enough structure for it to hold for a while.

Overall: 3/5
Unimpressive. It's decent, and for $9/bottle, I can't really complain. Not exactly my cup of tea (or glass of wine). It's also not exactly the best pairing - the food was pretty much just what I had lying around the house, and so it became food. I had already opened the bottle before checking my food selection, so I kind of got stuck. The food's good though.

Total: 84 pts

Want to make this meal?

Ginger Key Lime Saffron Shrimp

5 jumbo shrimp
2 Tbsp ginger key lime sauce (see below)
3 medium carrots, peeled & chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
pinch saffron

Heat up medium skillet or wok and put in sauce, carrots, and celery. Saute until carrots are tender-crisp. Add in shrimp and saffron. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until shrimp begin to turn red. Stir in peas, cover and cook an additional 3 minutes until the shrimp has turned red and cooked through. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!

Ginger Key Lime Sauce
1 bottle Les Lavandes Ginger Key Lime Vinegar
1 shallot, finely diced
1 stick butter

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar and shallot, and reduce the vinegar over medium heat until it it approximately 2 Tbsp in volume. Remove from heat and slowly stir in butter until it is all melted. Can be refrigerated and reheated at will.

Enjoy!