Monastrell Barrica , Casa Carmela

The appellation of Origen Yecla is the only one in Spain that covers one single municipality. Located in southeastern Spain, about one and a quarter hours northwest of Alicante, it extends over 6,500 hectares of vineyards with two very different areas, Campo Arriba or the highlands to the north of Yecla, with an altitude of 700-850 meters and mostly limestone and poor stony soils. Campo Abajo or the lowlands covers the southern areas of the appellation, with an altitude ranging 400-500 meters and a more clayey composition of soils down here. There is a continental climate with long, cold winters and equally long hot summers. The rainfall is low, with an average of 250 mm per year, in a region with the highest average annual hours of sun in Spain, about 3, 400, recorded annually. The farming approach is minimal intervention with an increasing amount of hectares being converted to organics. The majority of the Monastrell vines are planted at low density and are bush vine trained. Monastrell has a very long vegetal cycle, that takes its time to mature and thus harvest often only begins at the end of September. Picking is done by hand.