The soil of Jumilla is, in large part, calcareous: limestone, gravels and a deliberately poor fertility. The vine suffers a little. That suffering is what concentrates the must.
Drainage and a deep root
Limestone drains fast. Water does not stand; the root searches below. In a climate of drought, that is survival. It is also style: wines with nerve, not with the fat of easy irrigation.
What the mouth notices
Minerality is not a slogan. In Jumilla it translates as a dry finish, sometimes saline, that clears the ripe fruit. That is why a dry-farmed Monastrell does not tire: the soil puts a brake on the sun.