Casa Castillo Las Gravas 2013

Not surprising Las Gravas comes from a profoundly rocky, single vineyard of the same name. You'd also be hard pressed to call it soil since before you can get to anything resembling dirt you have to go through a foot of stones. Here Jose Maia and his father planted Monastrell, Garnacha and Syrah, each of which contribute to the final blend of Las Gravas.

Casa Castillo in the region of Jumilla is a property that has been producing wine since 1874. This tradition continued with a winery built by a French company in 1910 when phylloxera forced them out of their vineyards in France. Jumilla is one of the few places in Spain that has successfully resisted the infestation of phylloxera, hence making it an ideal place for this new winery. Like many Rhone wine merchants, they were interested in Monastrell (Mourvedre) based wine.