Bodegas Ponce Manchuela Clos Lojen Viñas Viejas Bobal 2019

Viejas Bobal, the grape variety not to be missed

Juan Antonio Ponce proves like no other that you can simply make brilliant wines from unknown grape varieties in obscure wine regions. This striking Spanish winemaker graduated as an oenologist at the age of 17. After several years at the side of legend Telmo Rodriguez, he started his own bodega at the age of 23. He is now considered the reference of his Manchuela wine region and a true bobal expert.

What makes Juan Antonio's wines so good is their unprecedented finesse and elegance. The Bobal grape can produce quite rustic, alcoholic wines, especially in combination with the hot Spanish climate. Those from Bodegas Ponce, on the other hand, are juicy and fresh, with a pure fruit expression and a very modest alcohol content. This is partly due to the cooler location of the vineyards and partly to Ponce's way of working, which is strongly influenced by biodynamics and the French vin nature movement.

 

The beautiful Clos Lojen is Juan Antonio's calling card. It is made from 40- to 60-year-old bobal sticks from various plots in Villanueva de la Jara and Iniesta. Juan Antonio harvests the grapes by hand and ferments them with grape yeasts. After fermentation, he lets the wine mature for seven months in large used wooden barrels made of French oak. He bottles the Bobal unfiltered and unclarified.

It provides a pure, subtle red wine with juicy fruit, refined tannins and a complexity that you would not expect in this price category. Drink it on its own, or in combination with a piece of pate, roast chicken or soft, creamy cheese. Highly recommended!