2021 Parajes del Valle Monastrell Ecologico Jumilla

Winemaker Notes: Bright, piercing cherry red, crisp and glistening. The nose is also bright, intense, concentrated with redcurrants, cherry, raspberry and some green pepper spice. The fruit is fresh, juicy but with piercing clean acidity and young grippy tannins. Concentrated and elegant redcurrant fruit persists to finish on spice, fresh tobacco and lots of morish acidity.

Parajes del Valle is a bright, new, exciting winery, established as recently as 2018. From Day One their wines have been in the young but experienced hands of Maria Jover, a 28 year old winemaker who counts Vegas Sicilia as a previous employer. Her modern views to winemaking are transforming the wines of the area. The certified organic Monastrell grapes all come from old vines (15-40 years) split across four plots (Fountain of the Partridges, La Cañada de Albatana and the Termino de Arriba in the north of Jumilla). They are maintained by the age-old “Terraje" system, meaning that the vineyards are rented out to the farmers, who give back 7% of the production in turn for taking good care of the vines. Almost all 80–90-year-old vines in Jumilla are maintained like this but are increasingly at risk of dying out as landowners want to change the system to the more productive and cost-effective system of irrigated vineyards. Parajes del Valle is adamant to protect the “Terraje” system, even paying a higher price for the grapes in guarantee the highest quality.