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Casa Castillo is undoubtedly the leading estate in Jumilla. The vineyard dwells in a dell which affords it a unique micro-climate as well as both northern and southern aspects. It is here that some of the world's finest Monastrell (also know as Mourvedre or Mataro)is produced.
The estate's top wine, Pie Franco, is from ungrafted vines planted in 1942 in Phylloxera resistant, sandy decomposed limestone soils. Unfortunately they do lose a couple of vines each year to the pest, further reducing the already low yields.
All wines below are available now at our special offer prices for the next seven days only. To place your order, simply click on the links below or contact us by email, or by phone on 03 9419 6990.
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2021 Jumilla Monastrell
Usually $45 - Special Offer $41
"The perfumed, floral and elegant 2021 Monastrell has 15% Garnacha (the maximum allowed if the wine is called Monastrell), as it's from a year that had more Garnacha vines, and he keeps planting the variety in the property because it gives the blend more elegance and freshness. The Monastrell matured in used barrels for eight to nine months, and the Garnacha matured in concrete. It's juicy and tasty, with fine-grained tannins and 14.5% alcohol but with great balance. It's Mediterranean with elegance. Great value."
93 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2021 Jumilla 'La Tendida' Monastrell
Usually $54 - Special Offer $49
"The 2021 La Tendida is the second vintage of this wine from young vines planted between 2006 and 2010 in an area where they are going to keep growing as they transition from the valley to more limestone-rich soils in other parts of the property. It was produced with 75% Monastrell and 25% Garnacha and matured in oak foudre. It has an elegant rusticity compared with Las Gravas or Pie Franco bottlings, with a combination of herbs, flowers, earth and tree bark, with very fine tannins and a chalky finish. It has ripeness, power, elegance and balance."
93+ Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Jumilla 'Las Gravas' Monastrell
Usually $119 - Special Offer $113
"The 2019 Las Gravas is a blend of 88% Monastrell from limestone gravel soils and 12% Garnacha also planted in the same gravel soils, but it's obviously much younger than the Monastrell and there's more Garnacha in this vintage marked by rains during the harvest. It fermented in underground pools fully destemmed with indigenous yeasts and matured in 5,000-liter oak foudres and 500-liter oak barrels for 14 months. This is expressive but subtle, faintly balsamic, with good ripeness (14.5%) alcohol, fully developed flavors and hints of Mediterranean herbs, with more pine needles in this north-facing exposition and grainy tannins. In 2019 they played up more of the varietal profile, and it shows in the wine. It has fine-grained, chalky tannins and a long, dry finish. It should improve in bottle."
95 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2021 Jumilla 'Las Gravas' Monastrell
Extremely Limited - $159
"The 2021 Las Gravas contains grapes from a vineyard planted in 2006 (that already contributed to the 2020), and it has given the wine a fine-boned profile, with more freshness and varietal Monastrell notes, a rustic-elegant feeling. It keeps the incredible quality level of the 2020, with Jumilla typicity; it's Mediterranean, powerful and energetic, with balanced 15% alcohol and a chalky, rocky, stony sensation in the finish. This always contains some 8% to 12% Garnacha. Production has grown to 37,905 (numbered) bottles. It was bottled in June 2023, as they did a longer élevage."
98 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2017 Jumilla 'Cuvee N' Monastrell
Usually $215 - Special Offer $204
"The 2017 Cuvée N is only the second bottling after the initial 2015 vintage, as the idea was to produce it only in the Mediterranean vintages (so, they didn’t make it in 2016 and won't make it in 2018 either). 2017 was an extraordinary year, and this is from the first 2.3 hectares of vines planted in the top part of Las Gravas. They did some fine-tuning, such as harvesting a little earlier so that the wine has kept great freshness, and the portion of full clusters probably helped there too. I found all the wines from 2017 very floral and elegant, giving a sensation of freshness. This wine is medium-bodied, fresh, elegant and perfumed, with very fine tannins, a subtle, chalky texture and clean, focused flavors that stay on your palate. This is remarkably fresher than the 2015, with red rather than black fruit."
96+ Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Jumilla 'Cuvee N' Monastrell
Usually $249 - Special Offer $237
"The 2018 was not produced, so from the 2017 they jumped to the 2019 Cuvée N, a wine they only want to produce in Mediterranean vintages (so far only 2015 and 2017). This 2019 comes from a slightly atypical vintage, marked by torrential rains during the harvest. It was produced with grapes from north-facing vines planted at the end of the 1970s on sandy limestone soils covered with gravels. It fermented fully destemmed in underground stone pools with indigenous yeasts and matured in used 500-liter oak barrels for 16 months. The 2019s in general are more varietal than the 2020s, and they have good ripeness, with notes of aromatic herbs and ripe fruit (without excess), a medium to full-bodied palate with some grainy tannin and a whiff of spiciness from the élevage."
95 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2019 Jumilla 'Pie Franco' Monastrell
Usually $249 - Special Offer $237
"This 2019 comes from the same ungrafted and dry-farmed vines planted in 1942 on a south-facing slope on poor limestone soils covered by gravels. In this vintage, it fermented destemmed in underground pools with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter oak barrels for 16 months. The wine is very Monastrell with the ripeness from the south exposition, with pungent notes of esparto grass and tree bark (vs. the pine needles in the wines from north-facing vineyards), characterful and with some dusty tannins that give it some rusticity. This is lovely and should develop nicely in bottle."
97 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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2021 Jumilla 'Pie Franco' Monastrell
Extremely Limited - $399
"The 2021 Pie Franco is from ungrafted old-vine Monastrell planted on sandy soils. It feels incredibly balanced, elegant and harmonious, a little closed, subtle rather than showy. It's slightly riper, like most of the 2021s, reaching 15% alcohol, very Mediterranean, classical with fruit a tad darker than the one in Las Gravas and with a rounder palate but keeping the poise and balance. It matured in oak foudre for a longer time, as they found this to be a more powerful wine that required a longer élevage in oak. Another stunning Pie Franco."
99 Points
Luis Gutierrez, The Wine Advocate
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All wines above are available now at our special offer prices for the next seven days only. To place your order, simply click on the links above or contact us by email, or by phone on 03 9419 6990.
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