Casa Castillo Pie Franco 2022

Casa Castillo Pie Franco is a single-vineyard Monastrell from Finca Casa Castillo in D.O. Jumilla. The fruit comes from the Pago La Solana estate, twelve hectares of southwest-facing vines over 70 years old. The name pie franco means ungrafted, and these vines were planted in 1941 on their own roots, surviving phylloxera because the sandy soils of the site gave the louse no purchase. Sandy soils also drain freely and keep yields low and even. The Jumilla climate is hot and dry, ripening Monastrell fully to deep colour, ripe black fruit and a warm 15 percent alcohol. The wine is aged 22 months in French oak, a long élevage in which slow oxygen exchange knits the tannins together and adds cedar and a smoky, mineral depth. The colour is dark cherry with garnet rims, the nose offering ripe black fruit, plum and cherry over black pepper, liquorice, smoke and an earthy minerality. The palate is full and intense, the tannin ripe and firm, the finish long and savoury. This is a wine to decant and to keep. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanting an hour ahead. It suits roast lamb, beef and gently spiced dishes.