2015 Casa Castillo - Las Gravas
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For Robert Parker, “Casa Castillo is a treasure-trove for fabulous value” producing what Gutierrez writes are “not only great but very affordable wines”. Las Gravas is arguably the pick from the range, a blend of old vine Monastrell, Syrah and Garnacha from the Las Gravas vineyard, a high altitude (760m) pebbly vineyard which produces balanced, spicy, fresh wines. 2015 was an exceptional vintage in this region, and Gutierrez writes that it was “a classic Mediterranean year of exceptional quality that resulted in powerful and ripe wines.” Fittingly, Casa Castillo had a superb year, bottling some of their finest ever wines, highlighting this estate's constant drive for better quality and making this a superb opportunity to snap up a tremendous wine from arguably the finest producer in South-Eastern Spain.
Critic scores
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
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Bright magenta. Dark berries, incense, potpourri and oak spices on the expansive nose. Smooth, appealingly sweet and open-knit, offering juicy blackberry, cherry-cola and mocha flavors that are sharpened by a snap of tangy acidity. Finishes on a building floral note, with strong persistence and even tannins that add shape and gentle grip. This wine drinks wonderfully now but it also has plenty of upside for the patient wine lover who has the foresight to stash some away. (all whole clusters; raised in 500-litre French oak barrels, 20% of them new)
The 2015 Las Gravas is a classic Mediterranean blend of Monastrell with 15% each Garnacha and Syrah, with 15% alcohol after fermenting with part of full clusters and indigenous grapes and aging in used oak barrels for 19 months. 2015 is the last vintage that Las Gravas has some Syrah, as it adds some sweet fruit he wants to avoid. However, it shows fresh within the balsamic profile, with plenty of rosemary and thyme notes combined with floral undertones and the character of the esparto grass and tree bark that are textbook descriptors of the variety. 32,000 bottles were filled in June 2017.
The 2015 Las Gravas is a classic Mediterranean blend of Monastrell with 15% each Garnacha and Syrah, with 15% alcohol after fermenting with part of full clusters and indigenous grapes and aging in used oak barrels for 19 months. 2015 is the last vintage that Las Gravas has some Syrah, as it adds some sweet fruit he wants to avoid. However, it shows fresh within the balsamic profile, with plenty of rosemary and thyme notes combined with floral undertones and the character of the esparto grass and tree bark that are textbook descriptors of the variety. 32,000 bottles were filled in June 2017.