The bodega was founded in 1870 by Pedro Luis Martinez, a wine broker who wanted to promote the Monastrell varietal because he found that it was well adapted to the extreme growing conditions in the region. The bodega is now run by the 4th generation of the Martinez family. This part of southern Spain was unaffected by the phylloxera blight that devastated vineyards in France and eventually most of Spain in the mid to late 1800s, but Jumilla finally came under Phylloxera attack in the 1980s. Many of Bodegas Pedro Luis Martinez’s vines survive that attack and are still producing.
Hilanda Monastrel comes from several dry-farmed vineyards on a mixture of clay, limestone, sand, and small stones at an elevation of 2300-2625 feet, somewhat balancing out the intense summer heat in the region. The vines range from 25 to 40 years of age with yields a miniscule 1.38 tons per acre. The vineyards are farmed organically.
This 100% Monastrell is a beautiful glass staining deep purple in color - with violet, dark berry and spicy peppery aromas. It displays intense fruit—flashes of sweet blueberry, blackberry and Morello cherry with notes of wood & spice cake. On the palate, it is dense and chewy with firm, but giving tannins, and will benefit from short aeration.
