Casa Castillo Micrit Monastrell

Micrit Monastrell is a single-variety Monastrell red wine made by Finca Casa Castillo in the D.O. Jumilla, Murcia. 

This estate was home to a winery built by the French in 1870, but it was not until 1985 that Casa Castillo was set up by Nemesio and his son José Mª Vicente. They altered the building, keeping the structure of the winery and planted some new varieties in their vineyards. They have a total of 175 hectares spread over four plots where vines, almond trees and olive trees grow together. Everything they do is about their commitment to the Mediterranean wine region territory and their excellent results are putting D.O. Jumilla wines back on everyone’s radar. 

Micrit Monastrell is the new wine from Casa Castillo, made in collaboration with Envínate, a group of winemaker friends who champion the identity of half-forgotten wine regions. Micrit Monastrell starts life on steep slopes lying up to 760 metres above sea level. The vines grow alongside a fully Mediterranean ecosystem on limestone soil and with a limited planting density of 1,600 vines per hectare. The team use environmentally-friendly agriculture and the harvest is carried out manually. 

When the Micrit Monastrell grapes reach the winery, they are partially destemmed and begin to ferment spontaneously with native yeasts at a controlled temperature of no more than 26ºC. It is then devatted and malolactic fermentation begins in contact with the lees in new 500-litre French oak barrels. Finally it ages and matures in the same barrels. 

Micrit Monastrell is the result of a desire to promote the qualities of a wine region that is still not very well-known. This red wine expresses the full Mediterranean essence of the native Monastrell variety in its natural habitat.