While Garnacha has been grown in Jumilla for centuries it has never been taken quite as seriously as Monstrell and most of it has been blended with other varieties. This seems all the more remarkable considering how closely the terroir of Jumilla resembles that of the Southern Rhone – hot, dry summers and a limestone subsoil topped with gravel. A few years back Jose Maria planted Garnacha in some of his most gravelly soils as an experiment.
Named for the mountain with overshadows his property, El Molar is fermented whole cluster with indigenous yeasts and spends 12 months in neutral 500L French oak demi-muids resulting in a wine that is pale, fresh and aromatic – a promising new directing for the property and the DO.
