Familia Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas 2023
Familia Castano Solanera Vinas Viejas
Region: Yecla, Murcia, Spain
Vintage: 2023
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha
ABV: 14.5%
This wine is deep ruby red in colour. It is a complex and sophisticated wine, brimming with aromas of plum, raspberry and cranberries. Full-bodied and intense on the palate with a delicate minerality and well-integrated oak. Silky tannins and plum fruit lead to a long finish.
The grapes are grown on dry-farmed bush and trellis vines in the Las Gruesas and Pozuelo vineyards. Soils here are limestone with strips of clay and sandy soil.The altitude of both vineyards is 750 metres above sea level and the vines have a North-South orientation. The Monastrell and Garnacha Tinto has an average vine age of over 80 years while the Cabernet Sauvignon comes from 40 year old vines.
Each variety, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tintorera, was harvested by hand at optimal ripeness, with careful selection in the vineyard and transport in 15-kilogram cases to protect fruit integrity. On arrival at the winery, the best bunches were rigorously selected on sorting tables before gentle destemming, without crushing, using a small-capacity destemmer. Fermentation took place in small 8,000- and 10,000-litre stainless steel vats, with hand-performed pump-overs to ensure gentle extraction. Temperature-controlled fermentation at 24–28 degrees celsius was carried out using indigenous yeasts, followed by around eight days of skin maceration to build colour and tannin structure. The wine was then softly pressed using a pneumatic press before ageing in a combination of French and American oak barrels, blending traditional winemaking techniques with precise temperature control to preserve the distinct character of each variety.
Based in Yecla, Murcia, Familia Castaño is known for its huge efforts to promote one of Spain’s native varieties: Monastrell. Familia Castaño embodies the best of what southern Spain has to offer, producing rich, warm-climate wines, with almost Syrah-like complexity, which overdeliver in terms of value year after year.