Two truly excellent 2022s from Spain's Casa Castillo - including an absolute bargain
José María Vicente is Casa Castillo’s most visible face and one of the driving forces behind this more elegant style in Jumilla.
Ferran Centelles, JancisRobinson.com
2022 Casa Castillo, Monastrell
£65 per 6 bottle case in bond
2022 Casa Castillo, Las Gravas
£280 per 6 bottle case in bond
I think you will know by now that I am increasingly fascinated by a number of wines from less familiar Spanish regions. That’s not to say that wines from Rioja or Ribera del Duero or Priorat don’t interest me, quite the opposite, but I am finding myself more drawn to regions like Manchuela, Bierzo, Gredos and Jumilla.
Jumilla is home to the hugely impressive estate of Casa Castillo, whose production scores another big hit with me as it is dominated by Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre), a grape variety that I have always praised for its complexity and longevity.
A little background
Jumilla lies within the Murcia region in south-eastern Spain and has carved out a reputation for wines based on Monastrell, a thick-skinned black grape variety well suited to hot, dry climates like the Mediterranean. Although lying near the coast, much of Jumilla is situated on an elevated central plateau, so the region in fact gets very little cooling influence from the sea. Instead, altitude is an important factor in moderating summer temperatures that can reach 40 degrees Celsius; most of the vineyards can be found lying between 400 and 800 metres above sea level. Among the leading producers, it doesn’t get much better than Casa Castillo, who make great wines up and down the scale.
When it was purchased in 1941 by the grandfather of current owner José Maria Vicente, Casa Castillo was comprised of a winery, a cellar and some scattered vineyards planted to international varieties dating from the 1870s, established by French refugees fleeing the plight of phylloxera. In 1985, José Maria and his father began to replant the vineyards with native varieties, focusing on Monastrell. They bottled their first vintage in 1991 and have been improving ever since, with Luis Gutiérrez commenting in 2020 that the estate is making ‘very high quality wines that I consider the best in the region and among the best in Mediterranean Spain, producing world-class Monastrell’.
My thoughts on the wines
From the 2022 vintage, we are offering two wines from the estate. The utterly ridiculously priced Monastrell, which comes in at a price that means you could easily justify consuming it with your Wednesday night pizza, though I would make sure it is a good pizza! This wine shows attractive red and blue fruit, admirably ripe, with a floral overlay with notes of aromatic herbs and a little kick of tannin to the finish. As with all Casa Castillo wines, there is a brightness to the fruit and elegance that are more akin to a higher priced wine. My advice? Back up the truck – this is a knockout wine for a very low price.
And of course, there is a notable upgrade if you go for the Las Gravas. I have rated this wine in so many vintages now. The 2022 iteration shows terrific ripeness, and a softer acidity than the preceding vintage, but this is still a wine that begs for time in the cellar. Firmer in tannin, more minerally in nature with copious blue/black fruit, that floral lift that Monastrell captures as well as a wilder note to the fruit. This will prove a great buy in five years’ time if you have the patience.
2022 Casa Castillo, Monastrell
£65 per 6 bottle case in bond (yes, the price is correct)
93 points, Luis Gutiérrez, robert parker.com
The 2022 Monastrell has no Garnacha whatsoever, as the variety suffered a lot with the hail and was not used for the entry-level wine, which is 100% Monastrell (last year, it had up to 15% Garnacha). It matured in 500-liter and 5,000-liter oak foudres for nine months on average, as it blends different wines from different parts of the property. It has 14.5% alcohol and is juicy and Mediterranean, with floral notes, ripe berry fruit. It's faintly candied, especially when compared with the other wines, with lots of aromatic herbs. It's clean and tasty, with a balanced and elegant palate where the tannins are polished and elegant. It develops a nice note of orange peel that gives it freshness, with a Mediterranean note of esparto grass. This is a triumph and an example of how you can achieve great results through blending. Production was 106,000 bottles. It was bottled in February 2024. Drink: 2025-2030
2022 Casa Castillo, Las Gravas
£280 per 6 bottle case in bond
96 points, Luis Gutiérrez, robert parker.com
In the atypical 2022 vintage, the 2022 Las Gravas is tighter and needs a little more time in the glass, which tells me it's also going to need a little more time in bottle too. It's mostly Monastrell (60% old vines and 30% from vines planted in 2006), with only around 7% Garnacha, because the variety suffered more. They debated whether to do a shorter or longer élevage, which was finally extended to some 18 months in foudre. In general, the wines from 2022 have higher ripeness, higher pH and lower acidity than in previous years. The wine has a dry and chalky palate with some stony austerity; it is serious and in need of time. They produced 20,000 bottles, half the amount that they produced the previous year. It was bottled in June 2024 at the same time as Pie Franco. Drink: 2026-2034
In case you are tempted, like me, to dive in on the Monastrell, this wine will be available for delivery from later this month (June 2025). The Las Gravas will arrive with us in October this year.
Please let us know of your interest.
Simon
simon.larkin@atlasfinewines.com