Mustiguillo is a family winery located in the Valencian highlands on the El Terrerazo estate Here, vines grow in a unique microclimate equally influenced by the nearby mountains and Mediterranean Sea, making Mustiguillo unlike any other estate in Southern Spain. Focused on the recovery and celebration of native varieties such as Bobal and Merseguera, the estate is proudly regionally-focused and terroir-driven. From thorough soil studies to careful organic viticulture and explorations in biodynamic farming, the winery is at the forefront of new and exciting experimentsinSpanishwine.
KEY FACTS
CLIMATE: Continentalclimatewith Mediterraneaninfluence;averagetemperature 56°F(14°C),precipitation 17in.(438mm)
ELEVATION: ElTerrerazo2,690ft(820m); FincaCalvestra3,018ft(920m)
SOILS: ElTerrerazo:calcareoussoilsof dolomiticorigin,sandy-loamtexture; FincaCalvestra:limestone, silty-sandytexture ofalluvialorigin,smallplotwithmarls
CLASS: DOPTerrerazo
HISTORY
VINE: 264acres(107ha)across47plots
KEY VARIETALS: Bobal,Merseguera
ECO: EU-certifiedorganic;eliminationof allplasticsinwarehouseandpackaging
INNOVATE: Conductingsoilanalysis, experimentingwithbiodynamicsand sustainablepracticeslikeusingsheepand theirowncomposttofertilizevineyards
Mustiguillo was founded on estate built in the 19th century and acquired by the Sarrión family in 1970. Yet, it wasn’t until Toni Sarrión left his career in business administration to dedicate himself to winemaking that Mustiguillo as we know it today took shape. Mustiguillo is the pioneer and current benchmark for quality Bobal. In 2004, Quincha Corral 2001 was the first 100% Bobal wine rated by Robert Parker (95 points), while Decanter recognized Finca Terrerazo in 2014 as the best Spanish red wine. In 2019, Mustiguillo celebrated the centenary of Terrerazo 1919, the first vintage produced at the estate and documented at the time by famed enologist and agricultural engineer Rafael Janini.
TERROIR
Thevineyardsarelocated63miles(100km)inlandfromthe MediterraneanonthewesternedgeoftheValenciaprovince. PagoElTerrerazoandFincaCalvestrasitat2,690feet.(820 m)ontheedgeoftheSierradeNegrete,wheretheCastilla highlandsreachtheborderofValencia.Here,theextreme continentalclimateisgraduallyinfluencedbythemilder Mediterraneanconditions,resultinginhighoscillationof diurnaltemperatures(+-68ºF,20ºC).
ElTerrerazorestsonalimestonelayerofDolomiticorigin.The soilsaregenerallyhomogeneous,butincludeloamypatches withremarkablealkalinity,orpocketsofsand.ToniSarrión prioritizedunderstandingthesoilcompositionfromthe beginning,openingtestpitstoobserveeachplotand identifyingthosewiththepotentialforsingle-parcel expression,likeFincaCalvestraMargas.
GOOD TO KNOW
In 2010, DOP El Terrerazo became the first single estate denomination in the Mediterranean region.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
NATIVE VARIETIES
Mustiguillo focuses on expressing origin by working with native grapes like Bobal and Merseguera, with the belief that these grapes best transmit a genuine sense of place. Before the efforts of Mustiguillo, these varieties were largely underratedandseenasmoresuitableforbulkproduction.
LOW YIELDS
Bobal and Merseguera are naturally vigorous, productive varieties. Toni Sarrión has employed many techniques to lower yields;bunchthinning,covercropsanddryfarmingareamongkeyoptionstosuccessfullycultivatehigh-qualitygrapes.
LOW INTERVENTION
Mustiguillo believes low-intervention winemaking is the key to crafting the terroir-driven wines that will best express the character of their pagos. Parcels are fermented separately, exclusively with native yeasts and free-run must. Avoiding over-extraction, gentle racking by gravity and use of neutral vessels like oak vats or concrete tanks for maturation preserve eleganceandMediterraneanflavors.
Agingpotentialisone of Finca Calvestra’s virtues. This rare quality for a Mediterraneanwhite wine results from carefulwinemaking and Merseguera’s lowpH.Thewine’s typicity starts to show from the fourthyearonwards.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Mustiguillo?
The terroir of Mustiguillo is perhaps best understood through their Bobal wines. The fruit of Finca Terrerazo is marked by the extreme climate, high elevation and its old vines, giving it a distinctive Mediterranean character, intensecolorandbalancedacidity.
Old-vine Bobal is planted among groves of pine, oak, and olive, as well as rosemary, fennel and thyme that tingethefruit.
The expression of the limestone soil is noticeable in a slight chalky sensation on the palate, a savoriness and a verticalnose,resultinginalong,elegantwine.
Singularities of the Winery
Their pagos El Terrerazo and Finca Calvestra are a viticultural benchmark for Bobal and Merseguera. Toni Sarrión has worked to study all aspects of each individual plot individually, with a persistent curiosity tounderstandtheestate’sterroir.
Why is Mustiguillo a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
Committed to respecting the origin and typicity of their wines, Mustiguillo joined GPE to promote visibility of their unique terroir. Mustiguillo has found a home with the other GPE wineries, where all work to learn more about their land, vines and the surroundingenvironment.
MUSTIGUILLO PORTFOLIO:
Quincha Corral, Finca Terrerazo, Finca Calvestra Margas, Finca Calvestra, La Garnacha, Mestizaje Blanco, Mestizaje
Finca Terrerazo
DOP El Terrerazo
Varieties
100% Bobal
Vinification
Maceration, fermentation and 18 months aging in 35 HL and 50 HL French oak vats; only free-run wine is aged
Good to Know
Fruit
Finca Calvestra
Vino de España
Varieties
100% Merseguera
Vinification
6 hours cold maceration.
Fermentation and aging in 225 and 500 L acacia barrels with native yeast; 11 months aging on fine lees
Good To Know
Vineyard altitude 3,018 ft (920 m); Merseguera is grafted on old, dry-farmed Bobal vines
from two single plots. Vineyards planted in 1945 and 1970.
