A unique soil. A weather with sudden seasonal changes. An altitude of 825 meters. 275 hectares of a fortuitous combination of sandy soils with a high percentage of chalk, that allows our Monastrell vines to be resistant and original; to be ungrafted. A selected and survivor vineyard; a senior vineyard. Balance. Personal aromas. Natural process. Harvesting by hand.
Unique vines.
In the north-west corner of the Jumilla appellation, within the municipal terminal of Tobarra, Hoya de Santa Ana is, in our opinion, the finest, most expressive sub-zone of Jumilla.
It has the highest elevation in the DO. This provides a climate that shares Jumilla’s warm days, but whose nights are considerably cooler than the rest of the appellation. Grape ripening is prolonged here, giving the final wines better balance and more intense aromatic development.
Apart from Monastrell, the classical grape in our region, we also grow Syrah and Grenache in our 275 hectares.
Our vines are rare survivors of the Phylloxera epidemic that spread across Europe at the end 19th century.
As a consequence, our land is covered with some of the oldest examples and the largest concentration of ungrafted vines..
Whithin the 275 hectares of our estate, 110 hectares of old, ungrafted Monastrell vines stand out. Monastrell is a variety native to the Mediaterranean landscape. Our ungrafted vines are rare survivors of the Phylloxera epidemic that spread across Europe at the end 19th century – devastating virtually every wine region on the continent. The only salvation was to graft older, European varieties onto disease resistant, American rootstocks. To this day, 99% of Europe’s vineyards can only survive when grafted onto American rootstock.
Nevertheless, our vines are planted in their own, original rootstock: something unique that gives to the wine its distinctive character. Special vines that we farm without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
The survival of centenary vines
Our Hoya de Santa Ana Vineyard is situated in the highest and coolest subzone of Jumilla appelation.
To guarantee the survival of our ancient vines, we use the Marcottage replanting system. When a vine reaches the end of its long life cycle, we take a branch of an adjacent vine and introduce it on the soil. From then, we guide this branch to emerge where the dead vine used to be.
The branch remains connected to the origin vine for some years, until its roots are strong enough to keep growing by its own. A vital system, practically extinct due to its high costs and slow process, that in Olivares we use to ensure the continuity of original, historic and strong vines. Our vines.
