Bullas

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The town of Bullas sits at 653 metres above sea level, making it one of the highest-altitude settlements in the Region of Murcia.
• The climate of Bullas can be described as continentalized Mediterranean, shaped by its elevation, distance from the coast, and the screening effect of surrounding uplands that limit maritime influence.
• The mean annual temperature falls to 15°C, with cool winters and hot summers; January is the coldest month, averaging around 7°C.
• Bullas is sheltered from southerly winds by the Cambrón, Pedro Ponce, and Lavia ranges, which, combined with its relative altitude, accounts for the town having the mildest summers in the Region of Murcia.
• Mean annual rainfall in Bullas reaches 365 mm, with peaks in autumn and spring and a pronounced summer drought; frosts and snowfall are infrequent.
• The average elevation of the appellation's vineyards ranges between 400 and 900 metres above sea level. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• In Bullas the harvest was traditionally carried out late, never before the October Festivals, and the local council even issued public notices forbidding earlier picking, resulting in very ripe grapes and high-alcohol wines.
• The expansion of the vineyard took place during the second half of the nineteenth century, driven by demand across Europe for deeply coloured, high-strength wines as phylloxera spread through the continent.

• The red wines are broad, fleshy, and deep-coloured, with high alcoholic strength and well-balanced acidity, displaying a fruity aromatic character with body and well-integrated tannin richness.
• Moderate ageing in oak barrels yields attractive wines, particularly when small quantities of the newly authorised varieties are included, while Monastrell fortified wines develop an intense bouquet after oak ageing, with aromas of cocoa, coffee, and oriental spices.

• The climate, the altitude of the vineyards, and the calcareous soils account for the distinctive character of viticulture in the area, together with the predominance of old-vine Monastrell and the near-complete absence of any need for phytosanitary treatments.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-A0536
• Official trade body site — DOP Bullas