Casa Castillo “is not only the leading producer in Jumilla but also among the very best in Spain.”
-Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Owner José Maria Vicente, a shining light in a region known for bulk production, has put Jumilla on the fine wine map. He has earned a global reputation for producing elegant and complex expressions of Monastrell, demonstrating the variety’s potential in the right hands and place.
“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
José Maria’s grandfather bought the Casa Castillo estate in 1941, after the Spanish civil war. There were already some vines and an old cellar dating back to the 1870s, built by previous French owners escaping the plight of phylloxera, but for many years the land was used for other crops. This changed in 1985, when José Maria and his father, Nemesio Vicente, began replanting and expanding the vineyards. They released their first vintage in 1991. It has been a steep learning curve for José Maria ever since, and his thirst for knowledge and desire to improve the wines has been unrelenting.
Luis Gutiérrez attests that: “he’s done what it takes to make world-class wines: travel the world, talk to the best producers, walk their vineyards, purchase and drink their wines and learn from it all.”
Located at the foot of the Sierra del Molar, the 400-hectare estate is home to 170 hectares under vine (certified organic). The soils are primarily calcareous and sandy, and certain plots have a high proportion of gravel. The Monastrell, Garnacha and Syrah bush vines are dry farmed and planted at very low density, resulting in yields of about three tonnes per hectare. Most of the vines are planted on north-facing slopes at some 700 metres above sea level. Conditions in Jumilla can be unforgiving, with hot, dry summers and very little rainfall. The northerly aspects provide some respite from the intense summer sunshine, and a high diurnal range ensures the grapes ripen slowly and retain freshness.
In stark contrast to the harsh conditions, the wines are defined by elegance and precision. They are fermented with indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention, short maceration times and varying amounts of whole bunch. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and underground concrete vats, and the wines are aged in a combination of concrete and seasoned French oak, primarily demi-muids and foudres.
‘Monastrell’ from the Catalan ‘monestir’ or monastery in English, first emerged in the 14th century, linking the monastic progress of the time with the grape variety. Monks were committed to the variety, which led to its prestige, and in turn its name, the grape of monasteries: ‘Monastrell’. By the 18th century, most other names for the grape had disappeared, except for Mataro in Catalunya (a town near Barcelona). The French name ‘Mourvèdre’ was popularised rather than its monastic synonym, because the first vines were exported from the Valencian town of Murviedro in the 16th century.
JUMILLA MONASTRELL 2023
£65 IB per 6x75
The grapes picked for the Jumilla Monastrell are selected from vineyards aged up to 60 years, located at lower elevations on the valley floor. The Monastrell is 100% destemmed. The wine was aged 8-10 month in neutral French oak 500L barrels and 5000L foudres. The Monastrell is a superb introduction to the range and offers exceptional value.
“I tasted two vintages from the entry-level young wine, the oldest of which is the 2023 Monastrell, which is 100% Monastrell, as yields of Garnacha were low and was all used for El Molar. The wine shows very clean, focused, fresh and nuanced. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol and has a sense of freshness that goes beyond the parameters of pH and total acidity, coming through as harmonious and balanced. It has a medium-bodied palate and very fine tannins, with a tender texture, fine-boned and serious, and it's mineral and tasty. 120,000 bottles produced. It was bottled from the same lot during a period of six months”
Drink 2025-2031
93 points – Luis Gutierrez, February 2026, RobertParker.com
“The 2023 Monastrell from Jumilla shows a delicate red fruit profile, with notes of sour cherry and balsamic herbs alongside a hint of pine. Subtle spice and balsamic notes reminiscent of thyme and rosemary linger in the background. Dry, with a fine chalky texture and notable freshness, the wine delivers energy and precision in a lean style for the region and variety. A touch of fine-grained grip adds relief, marking its calcareous soils”
92 points - Joaquín Hidalgo, November 2025, Vinous.com
‘EL MOLAR’ JUMILLA 2023
£105 IB per 6x75
Named after the mountain that overshadows the property: El Molar. The grapes for this wine are selected from various vineyards planted on gravel, sandy and calcareous soils, from Garnacha vines 5 to 37 years old. The grapes were destemmed before undergoing fermentation. The wine was transferred to oak vessels for malolactic fermentation and aged for 15 months in 5000L foudres and 500L barrels.
An elegant, fresh and vibrant wine. On the nose are aromas of cherries, plums, violets and Mediterranean herbs. The palate is bright and concentrated with fine, chalky tannins and an ethereal finish.
“The 2023 El Molar Vino de Paraje from Jumilla was aged 14 months in foudres. Pale cherry in color, it presents a moderately ripe profile with notes of tomato jam and soft marmalade over a delicate touch of oak and a hint of cotton candy. The palate reveals medium chalk, light grip and juicy fruit flavor. Interestingly, it has a faint saline note and very little tannin, the effect of an almost carbonic-like maceration that gives the mouthfeel its character”
94 points - Joaquín Hidalgo, November 2025, Vinous.com
“The varietal Garnacha 2023 El Molar comes from small grapes that need to be handled carefully and trying not to extract a lot. It was the ripest Garnacha they have harvested, from low yields and a very long period of drought, resulting in a wine with 14.5% alcohol, which is the usual here, but the aromatic palette is faintly riper. This is more Châteauneuf than Gredos, Mediterranean and with a more classical profile. It has very fine, chalky tannins and a slight dusty sensation. With time in the glass, it turned a little jammier. All the Garnacha on the property was used for this wine, and 26,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in March 2025 after aging in oak foudres”
Drink 2026-2032
93+ points – Luis Gutierrez, February 2026, RobertParker.com
‘LAS GRAVAS’ JUMILLA 2022
£280 IB per 6x75
‘Las Gravas’ (the gravels) is primarily made from Monastrell (94%), blended with a touch of Garnacha (6%). The grapes are picked from the eponymous north-facing calcareous vineyard. Dry farmed and home to low-yielding 40+ year old bush vines, but also younger vines planted in 2006. Varieties are vinified separately and partially destemmed. The wine was aged for 20 months in 500L and 5000L French oak barrels. Casa Castillo produced 50% less ‘Las Gravas’ in 2022.
The identity of ‘Las Gravas’ has evolved considerably since its inception in 1998. Originally a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Monastrell, José Maria soon realised that Bordeaux varieties were unsuited to the climate in Jumilla. In 2001, Syrah was introduced to the blend and later in 2006, Garnacha. By 2008, Cabernet Sauvignon no longer featured in ‘Las Gravas’.
20,000 bottles produced
“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
96 points – Luis Gutierrez, January 2025, RobertParker.com
PIE FRANCO’ JUMILLA 2022
£650 IB per 6x75
‘Pie Franco’ [franc foot, i.e. ungrafted] is Casa Castillo’s most critically acclaimed wine, regularly receiving 98 points and over from Wine Advocate. Made in small quantities from ungrafted Monastrell vines planted in 1942 by José Maria’s grandfather, Pie Franco is one of Spain’s greatest wines. The grapes are sourced exclusively from the sandy loam 11-hectare La Solana (meaning the sunny side) vineyard, one of the estate’s few south-facing vineyards.
Pie Franco 2022 was fermented in stone lagars, with a portion of whole bunches and transferred to foudre for malolactic fermentation, before ageing for 20 months in one seasoned 5000L foudre and 500L French oak barrels.
Despite the challenges encountered in 2022, the estate’s old vine Monastrell prevailed and highlighted the variety’s resilience in the face of adversity. 50% less Pie Franco was produced in 2022 versus 2021. This emblematic wine remains elegant, fresh and complex.
4,150 bottles produced
“The 2022 Pie Franco has a slightly paler color than the Las Gravas, a more perfumed nose and more elegance. This is a very reliable and consistent wine, which seems to cushion the effect of the year quite well. This is more perfumed than the rest of its siblings and has lower alcohol than any of the others, with a contained 14% alcohol. It has a medium to full-bodied palate with abundant, fine-grained tannins. They harvested a little earlier and were very careful with the extraction, and it clearly paid off and achieved the elegant and more ethereal profile even in a very warm, dry, challenging year like 2022. This is my favorite of the 2022s together with the Monastrell. It was a very low yielding year; from close to 12 hectares, they produced 3,800 liters of wine, and they finally bottled close to 5,000 bottles. It was bottled in June 2024”
Drink 2026-2036
98+ points – Luis Gutierrez, January 2025, RobertParker.com
PIE FRANCO’ JUMILLA 2021
£690 IB per 6x75
“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. 8,297 numbered bottles. It was bottled in June 2023.”
Drink 2024-2036
99 points – Luis Gutierrez, January 2024, RobertParker.com
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