2022 Paraje Marin

The Story

The area called Estrecho de Marín lies in a valley flanked by two majestic mountains: Rajica de Enmedio in the east and Solana Sopalmo in the west. This is DO Jumilla’s warmest, driest region and it’s where Elena Pacheco strives to produce balanced, fresh grapes in a bid to steer clear of over-ripeness which occurs so easily in the heat. The vines used to make this wine are planted on both sides of the valley: those in the east are subject to more shade and give the wine freshness, minerality and elegance, while those in the west are subject to more sunlight and give the wine the characteristic maturity and warmth of the Monastrell grape variety.

The 35 year old vines are goblet-pruned, and planted using traditional distances of 2.8 x 2.8m in permeable, limestone soils which capture and retain precious moisture from the region’s scant rainfall by bedding their roots deep.

Winemaking

The single-parcels are hand-picked at optimal maturity before being fermented in stainless steel vats at temperatures of 24-26C using natural yeasts. Instead of barrel ageing the wine is then transferred to concrete vats for Malolactic Fermentation and ageing for 7 months.

Tasting Notes

The wine pours a medium ruby color. As expected with 100% Monastrell, the nose is a pure intense red fruit. On the palate, the weight, the silkiness and the flavors are superb and balanced. The terroir-driven winemaking results in a wine with great character that reflects its origin.