Viña Elena, Familia Pacheco Organic, DO Jumilla, Spain, 2023

Producer Profile

Widely considered to be one of the best wineries in Jumilla, Viña Elena is very much a family affair with Elena Pacheco at the helm supported ably by her mother, sisters and children.

Viña Elena sits directly inland from the Costa Blanca and that venerable holiday destination, Benidorm. Safe to say, it is hot in this south east corner of Spain and Elena is fascinated by Monastrell and how she can create ever more elegant and delicate incarnations of it, despite the intensity of the sun. From their 17 hectares of organically cultivated vines set within the semi-arid, hilly landscape, Elena experiments with the differing soil types to see how Monastrell will react and how she can express the personality of the grape. The differing terroir, organic practices and the lack of oak influence all goes to create fascinating wines of greater elegance, fruit and delicacy than the heat of this sun worshippers' land would have you expect.

Viticulture

Goblet-trained bush vines planted in dry, dry-farmed, chalky soils. The age of the vines varies between 15 and 40 years old. Manually harvested. The vines are certified organic and are planted at altitudes of 380-730 metres above sea-level, in low-density vineyards of 1,400-1,600 vines per hectare. This wine is made from grapes grown in plots from different sub-regions of D.O.P. Jumilla: Término de Arriba, La Raja, and Las Encebras.

Winemaking

Fermented in stainless-steel vats at controlled temperatures of 25 °C using natural yeast. This unoaked wine is subject to a gentle fining, cold stabilisation, depth, surface, and amicrobic filtration.

Oak Ageing

No oak ageing

Tasting Note

100% organic Monastrell this wine is, dark red-maroon in colour. Red berry aromas on the nose, with a light touch of balsamic. Balanced, full-bodied, fresh wine enhanced by seasoned tannins and the reoccuring traces of ripe fruit.

Food Matching

Ideal with tapas, salads, rice dishes, and baked or grilled fish such as salmon, turbot and sea bass as well as Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine.