A very small batch from a deeply personal project of wine maker Elena Pacheco and Isio Ramos, encapsulating the very different reflections of terroir on their much loved Monastrell grape, a serious and ageworthy wine.
Robert Parket "The more powerful and ripe 2020 Bruma del Estrecho Parcela Vereda comes from a Monastrell plot that tends to deliver riper and darker wines. It has a heady profile of ripe black fruit and a spicy/smoky touch from the aging in second use 500-liter French oak barrels coupled by Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and esparto grass. It's juicy and round, full-bodied and lush, with ripe flavors in the finish. 91 Points, LG, April 2022. "
Each wine, all DO Jumilla but from different old vine plots, express startling individuality based on their microclimate, soil, location and age of the vines. Sites across two locations, Marín and Las Encebras, three specific plots, Mandiles, Vereda, Particiones, and one estate, Casa Quemada.
The wine boasts exceptionally attractive fruit nuances and good acidity, which is enhanced by a noticeably high saline content in the mouth. Intense aromas of red berries, hints of cacao, quite spiced, balsamic, and earthy on the nose, followed by abundant flavour intensity, and slight hints of mellow spice combined with the red fruit. Rounded, ripe tannins, well-balanced and a finish which leaves you wanting more.
Harvested by hand, the yields are naturally restricted by the winds and climatic conditions on the island and average around 80 quintal per hectare. The vineyard sites are situated at an altitude of 350-450m, ensuring cooler night time temperatures which preserve crucial acidity in the grapes. Wines tend to be harvested earlier than many of their neighbours and consequently they are bright and fresh with clean fruit flavours.
Using the best fruit in the vineyards, and less sulphur in the winemaking (and thus extra attention in the winery), the grapes are first very gently pressed and fermented in 50 hl acacia wood barrels for 24 hours. After maceration a second soft pressing of the grape and must. The second fermentation is in stainless steel at 16-20°C for 14 days, followed by malolactic fermentation.
