Casa Castillo

His grandfather bought the place in 1941, once the Spanish civil war was over. It already had some vines and a cellar from the 1870s, but for years the land grew other crops. In 1985 José Maria and his father started replanting and released their first wine in 1991. He has kept learning ever since, travelling, visiting other growers and tasting widely.

The 170 hectares are certified organic. Monastrell, Garnacha and Syrah grow as widely spaced bush vines, dry farmed, mostly on north-facing slopes at about 700 metres. Summers are hot and dry, yet the wines are fresh and precise, made with wild yeasts and aged in concrete and old French oak.