Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby in color, with ripe, powerful scents of red and dark fruits, minerals and spices. Finishes fresh and long, with a repeating dark fruit note.
An exceptional combination with red meats and stews.
Blend: 90% Monastrell, 10% Garnacha
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There's a new label and image for the 2022 Altos de la Hoya, which comes from ungrafted Monastrell selected from plots at 830 to 840 meters above sea level on sandy limestone soils. The dry-farmed and head-pruned vines have an average age of 45 years. The Monastrell is complemented by 5% Garnacha and fermented in 10,000-liter stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts and matured 50/50 in 500-liter barrels and 6,000- and 10,000-liter oak vats for six to eight months. The wine has notes of ripe black fruit, Mediterranean herbs and a spicy, creamy and smoky touch from the oak. It's juicy, round and fleshy, with 14.5% alcohol and good balance and almost unnoticeable tannins.
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
Famous for the robust and earthy, black-fruit dominated, Monastrell (known as Mourvedre in France), Jumilla is an arid and hot region in southeastern Spain. Its vine yields tend to be torturously low but this can create wines of exceptional intensity and flavor. Quality combined with accessible price points give the region great recognition on international markets far and wide.
The reds from Jumilla are heady and spicy, packed with fruit and show aromas of dried licorice and herbs. If you like Syrah, Grenache or Pinot noir, a red wine from Jumilla would be a perfect next choice!