Casa Castillo Monastrell Jumilla 2021

Description

A fresh juicy wine, with a lovely purity of fruit, sourced from younger vines across the property.

Casa Castillo is the preeminent estate in the Jumilla DO and one of the finest in the whole of Spain. Grapes are sourced from younger vines, mainly from La Valle vineyard at around 750-800 metres. Soils are calcareous, and loamy in texture, vines are dry-farmed and head-pruned, age ranges from 15 to 45 years. Climate is Continental.

Grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel, with a short maceration period. The wine then spends 8-9 months in neutral 500-litre oak casks and concrete tanks. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Spicy, savoury nose with complex aromas of berry fruit, a hint of spice and delicate flowery touch. Palate is rich and full-bodied while retaining freshness, with a long finish.

The 2020 Monastrell is pure Monastrell in this exceptional vintage for the grape (in previous years it had up to 20% Garnacha, but there was little Garnacha in 2020). The grapes come from sandy vineyards on the valley floor, and they are fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and a shortish maceration. The wine matured in 500-litre oak barrels and 5,000-liter oak vats for nine months. In 2020, there were more grapes from old vines that were used before for the Vino de Finca, which was discontinued. This wine is very aromatic, elegant, expressive and reaching a level I have not seen before in this wine. It's refreshing, light, balanced, and nuanced, with velvety tannins and very clean, really transcending its price point. Balanced is the word, and it's also available and affordable and sets the tone for the 2020s. 186,000 bottles were produced. There are different lots of this wine from the same master blend. I tasted the first bottling from October 2021. 92+pts, Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate