Casa Castillo: ‘among the very best in Spain’

Old vine Monastrell from arid Jumilla

In Murcia in south-eastern Spain, Jumilla is a hot, dry, sun-bleached landscape of alternating valleys and peaks. Many grape varieties would struggle in the 40-degree summer heat, but slow-to-ripen Monastrell laps it up. Most wine here is made by a huge co-operative, and the area is traditionally known for its unfashionably dark, tannic wines. Many vineyards are being uprooted in favour of more profitable crops (hello, almonds, nice to meet you). But there are a few small local producers making great wine. At the head of the pack is Jose María Vicente. The old vine Monastrells from his family winery Casa Castillo are world-class. Writing on robertparker.com, Luis Gutiérrez has noted that Casa Castillo 'is not only the leading producer in Jumilla but also among the very best in Spain.'

In its current form, Casa Castillo is three generations old (though the cellar is much older, having been built by French prisoners of war). When Jose María Vicente took over in 1985, he removed the international grape varieties that had been taking over the vineyard, and focused on old-vine Monastrell. These are bush vines planted on the chalk, sand and gravel slopes of the Sierra de El Molar. The oldest are pie franco, ungrafted. Winemaking is straightforward and traditional. Grapes are hand-harvested and transferred as fast as possible to the winery. Some whole bunches are submerged in grape must, leading to a semi-carbonic maceration. Fermentation is in concrete or stainless steel, and the bodega has an array of foudres and barrels to raise the wine.

2023 was, as Jose María puts it, 'a nightmare of a harvest', with four heat waves and then rain which paused play. But that rain was also welcome in a drought year, and his 2023s come over as fresh and balanced, with an attractive mineral bass under the juicy fruit and herb. From valley floor vines (up to 60 years old) the Monastrell offers a superb introduction to the range. Las Gravas ('the gravels') comes from a north-facing slope where there's a lot of gravel in the chalky subsoil. Pie Franco is the most critically acclaimed wine, made from ungrafted vines grown in the sandy loam soils of the south-facing La Solana vineyard. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available imminently. To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998