Castaño GSM · 2023

Wines from Murcia are in vogue and the ones most recently included in this trend are those from the Yecla region. Years of hard graft and careful research have resulted in wines which are much better suited to consumer demands, and the prediction is that this current fashion will turn into something with more stability, continually evolving and working towards products of even greater complexity. If, years ago, Yecla wines were known for being rough and robust, nowadays they are admired for their fine structure, warmth and abundance of fruit, combined with well-integrated oak to round them off. These have been changes for the best, and proved so by Yecla's wineries. Every wine-producing area proudly shows off the indigenous varieties that it has most affinity with and will use these particular grapes to produce wines that are truly representative of their terroir. Yecla is one of the regions laying claim to the red grape variety Monastrell which, although it is in fact very extensively grown throughout the Levant, this region's wineries have understood how to maximize all the potential that the grape has to offer. Other varieties that have adapted extremely well and have given good results are the French Syrah which produces warm, fruity wines, and the Garnacha Tintorera. Situated in the far north of Murcia, bordering with the provinces of Albacete and Alicante, this small but distinctive wine-producing region partly owes its high quality grapes to its geographical location: a continental climate with some Mediterranean influence, low rainfall, soils with a deep layer of limestone, and vineyards planted on gently undulating ground at an altitude of between 400 and 800 m. bringing cooler conditions for grape ripening.