Jumilla

Jumilla, straddling the border of Murcha and Castilla-La Mancha, sprawls over some 57,000 acres of gently rolling stony vineyard plateau. Created as a DO in 1961, the winemaking history of the region dates back some 5,000 years, as documented by the discovery here of the oldest vitis Vinifera sub-fossils in all of Europe, dating to about 3,000 BCE.

Passing thru Ibero-Celtic, Phoenician, Roman, Visigothic, and Moorish control over the next few thousand years, it became a significant hub of winemaking in Medieval Castille and then early Modern Spain. Spared from the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century, the region boomed as French wine producers came in force to source grapes for their wines. As a result, several of the classic Bordeaux varieties are now allowed in the Jumilla DO.

The climate is arid/contenental, with hot summers and cold winters, and a large diurnal temperature swing. The nearby Mediterranean does provide some small amount of climate amelioration, but mostly on the eastern margins of the DO. The vineyards are generally at 1000 - 3000 ft elevation, on isolatee plateaus divided by a series of mountain ranges.

Soils are generally brown marl and limestone with pretty good porosity and permeability- they both hold water and drain well, allowing grapes to be dry-farmed even in drought years. In places the high lime content and low rainfalls allows the development of a lime crust on the landscape, which must be broken to plant anything. Poor in organic matter, they force the vines downward in search of both water and nutrients. These sandy, well-aerated soils are also the reason Phylloxera has such a hard time gaining traction here.

The DO allows a number of varieties, some indigenous some French imports: White grapes: Airén, Macabeo, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Moscatel de Grano Menudo, Pedro Ximénez and Malvasía. Red grapes: Monastrell, Tempranillo (known locally as Cencibel), Garnacha Tintorera, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot. DO regulations allow four levels of wine:

• Joven (whites, rose and reds- little to no oak);

• Crianza (red wines are aged for 1 year with at least 6 months in oak and 6 months in the bottle, whites and rosés must be aged for at least 1 year with at least 4 months in oak);

• Reserva (red wines are aged for at least 2 years with at least 12 months in oak and 12 months in the bottle, reserva whites and rosés must be aged for at least 18 months with at least 6 months in oak; and finally

• Gran Reserva wines which are typically produced only in exceptional vintages. The red wines require at least four years aging, twelve months of which in oak and a minimum of 36 months in the bottle. Gran Reserva whites and rosés must be aged for at least 4 years with at least 6 months in oak.

Jumilla is the birthplace of Monastrell, or at least its home for the past few centuries. 85% of the world’s Monastrell is grown in Spain, and 77% of the grapes harvested in Jumilla are Monastrell… the variety really defines the DO.

The Spanish name comes from the late Latin Monasteriellu meaning monastery, a reflection of the longstanding relationship between the Church and viticulture throughout the middle ages. In France it’s known as Mourvedre (probably a reference to the Spanish town of Murviedro.). In the USA and Australia, it’s often known as Mataro, and to muddy things further, the Vitis International Catalogue lists over 100 other synonyms for this widely-grown variety.

dobledeperez

Founded by their parents, DobledePerez is the family venture of the 3 Perez-Perez siblings: Maribel (business manager), Jose (vigneron and vineyard manager), and Jennifer (winemaker & production manager), working together on their small property in Tobarra. Their Hoya de Santa Ana farm is located in an isolated “hole” of brown limestone cobble soils surrounded by mountains and forest/scrubland.

They also own a small plot nearby in Albatana, on sandy loam soils.

In both locations, Ancient bush-trained vines are farmed organically with no chemical inputs, nor are any used in the cellars. Wines are fermented and aged in a combination of French oak and clay amphorae. Only wild native yeasts are used for the long, slow fermentations, and the wines are bottled with a minimum of intervention.

The Perez-Perez’s farm a selection of grape varieties, of which 80% is Monastrell:

• Monastrell from an old (55 years) ungrafted vineyard on the Hoya de Santa Ana, with less stony soil, a mixture of clay, lime and sand that produces a very its low yield, of tremendous quality.

• Petit Verdot from the Hoya, planted in very stony limestone soil, with very good drainage. It matures beautifully and provides fruit that matures very well and provides balanced and round Petit Verdot in the mouth.

• Garnacha Tintorera grown in Albetana on sandy soil very poor in organic matter, in which gives rise to a fresh and fruity Garnacha Tintorera.

• Verdejo, planted in well-drained sandy loam soils, at about 650 m altitude in Albatana. Its distinctive character is forged thanks to its environment and the Mediterranean climate that give it intensity and freshness.

• Moscatel, an aromatic treasure, planted on deep sandy loam soils in Albatana at about 1950 ft altitude. The Mediterranean environment and the meticulous care in winemaking result in a dry Muscat with exquisite aromas and a unique character in each glass.