Vera de Estenas Bobal Utiel-Requena DO 2023

The bobal grape is the third most widely planted grape in all of Spain, leading to a bit of an unfortunate reputation for “quantity over quality”. Happily, a small group of artisanal growers is bucking the trend and redefining the potential of this grape to produce wines of real complexity and character. Vera de Estenas has been producing estate wines from their 47 hectares of vines in Utiel-Requena since their founding by Francisco Martinez Bermell in 1945. Located at 800 meters at the foots of the Sierra del Remedio mountains near the mouth of the Estenas River, the estate has long been a stalwart champion of the bobal grape, with holdings of some of the oldest vines in Spain (some 100 years old). Now helmed by Felix Martinez, Vera de Estenas is producing nuanced wines of freshness and incredible drinkability (and value!), like this cuvée here. Made with fruit from 50-100 year old organically farmed bobal, the grapes were macerated, pressed, and fermented all in concrete tanks, then aged in concrete before bottling. This versatile value unfurls layers of mulberry, blackberry, black plum, and pomegranate, accented with spicy notes of cardamom, coriander, and black pepper. Organically grown.