2020 Casa Castillo, Pie Franco - Jumilla - 1 Botella (0,75 L)

WINE DESCRIPTION

100% monastrell from original, ungrafted canes, planted in 1942 and still found on the La Solana plot. Traditional fermentation of the whole clusters takes place in underground concrete vats. Malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels of 500 liters, then aging for 16 months in the same barrels. Bottled without filtering.

Expressive nose with complex aromas of ripe red & black fruit, almost jam. Furthermore, chocolate, spice, coffee, balsamic, floral notes. In the mouth, the restrained power is striking, the ripe fruit dominates, wood is barely noticeable, the balance is almost perfect. Even at this young age, the tannins are polished, silky smooth.

Jose Maria Vincente calls 2020 the perfect year. And that is also reflected in the wines. With this PIe Franco as the highlight: precise, subtle, floral, elegant, Mediterranean and yet also fresh.c

100 pts. Parker!! The perfect score, as the first ever Mediterranean wine. Only 7,146 bottles produced. Note than the actual bottle number will be different but bottle is in same condition.

PROFESSIONAL RATINGS

Robert Parker's - The Wine Advocate
100/100 points

"I had tasted the 2020 Pie Franco during its upbringing in barrel and couldn't wait to taste the bottled version. The wine comes from the ungrafted Monastrell vines planted in 1942 by the current generation's grandfather on a south-facing slope rich in limestone and gravels. In this dream vintage, they achieved a wine with 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.47 and almost five grams of tartaric acid per liter of wine. The wine matured in 500-liter oak barrels for 16 months. There is precision; it's like laser cut, with symmetry and nuance, and it feels ethereal with lots of inner strength. It has the aromatic herbal notes but they are a lot subtler, and the wine is a lot more elegant and floral. The 2020s are wines of texture, silky, fine and elegant. This is the essence of the Mediterranean. Truly outstanding, world class, the best wine produced in the Mediterranean and the best wine from Casa Castillo ever. I was trying to find reminiscences with previous vintages, and it's different from 2017 and 2018, maybe a mixture of the two, but overall the 2020s are unique and have a combination of Mediterranean character and freshness more intense than any other previous vintage. José María Vicente told me the only vintage that could be compared a little with the 2020 could be 2010. I've seen this wine evolve every year since the initial vintage of 1998 to reach world class. Bravo!"

Luis Gutiérrez, Apr 2022