93+ Parker: The Jumilla That Redefines Monastrell
This is the kind of bottle we get especially excited about sharing because it has a way of changing people’s minds about what Monastrell can be.
2021 Casa Castillo La Tendida- 93+ Points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate third-generation grower José María Vicente has helped turn his family property into one of the benchmark estates of Jumilla. What began as a rosemary plantation is now an extraordinary landscape of organically farmed vineyards, olive and almond trees, and wild Mediterranean herbs, with vineyards reaching roughly 750 meters in elevation.
That setting matters. Jumilla sits in southeastern Spain, where the climate is warm, dry and unmistakably Mediterranean. Monastrell thrives here, but at Casa Castillo, elevation, poor rocky soils and careful farming help keep the wines from becoming overly rich or heavy. There is warmth and ripeness, certainly, but also freshness, perfume and a distinct sense of place.
And the 2021 La Tendida is particularly compelling.
A blend of 75% Monastrell and 25% Garnacha, it comes from vines planted in gravel-covered sandy clay-limestone soils. Those lean, stony soils naturally limit vigor and force the vines to work harder, while the limestone helps preserve freshness in a region known for heat.
The fruit is hand harvested, fermented with native yeasts and raised primarily in large-format oak, an approach designed to capture Jumilla’s Mediterranean generosity without burying it beneath oak or excessive extraction. The winemaking here is deliberately restrained. Rather than polishing away the personality of the vineyard, José María Vicente lets the fruit, herbs, earth and mineral character remain front and center.
Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez awarded it 93+ points, highlighting its mix of herbs, flowers and earthy character, along with very fine tannins and a chalky finish. It has the ripeness you expect from southeastern Spain, but also a freshness and precision that make Casa Castillo stand apart.
In the glass, expect ripe red and dark fruit, dried Mediterranean herbs, wildflowers, spice and stony minerality, with beautifully fine tannins and enough freshness to keep everything moving. There is plenty of depth here, but the wine never feels cumbersome. Instead, it has a savory, energetic quality that makes it especially good at the table.
What We’re Cooking: Rosemary-and-garlic grilled lamb chops with crispy potatoes and roasted peppers. The lamb loves Monastrell, while the rosemary and savory herbs mirror the wild Mediterranean landscape surrounding the vineyards.
It is the kind of pairing that makes sense before you even taste it: charred meat, garlic, rosemary, sweet roasted peppers and crispy potatoes meeting a wine full of ripe fruit, herbs, spice and mineral character.
If your idea of Jumilla is big, ripe and heavy, this is the bottle we’d pour for you. La Tendida has plenty of Mediterranean warmth, but it’s the elegance, freshness and mineral lift that make you reach for another glass.
And that, more than anything, is what makes Casa Castillo so compelling. The wines feel completely at home in Jumilla, while showing just how nuanced, vibrant and expressive Monastrell can be in the right hands.
93+ Points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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. Rating: 93+ (LG)