Bodegas Ponce La Casilla Bobal 2019
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This wine has dark savory fruit with notes of bay, thyme and leather. Firmer structured and chalky on the palate. In typical Bodegas Ponce fashion, La Casilla manages to express the inherent power and structure of Bobal and it's native Manchuela, but goes so with the sort of grace and style that re-calls Cru Beaujolais
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A perfumed nose of redcurrants, thyme, orange zest, chocolate and clay. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity. Juicy and crunchy with a vibrant core of fruit. Excellent texture. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 La Casilla is pure Bobal from organically farmed vineyards, 80% of them on limestone soils, 20% on clay and limestone and the remaining 20% from stony soils, all fermented with 100% full clusters in 4,500-liter oak vats and matured in a combination of 600-liter barrels and 4,500-liter vats for nine months. It's only 12.5% and has very good balance and freshness, with typicity and approachable, with limestone chalky minerality and complex, fresh and pleasant. It was interesting to compare the 2019 with the 2020, and that's when I saw how this 2019 felt more rustic and with an earthy touch, a faint leather and meat touch and a palate with abundant, slightly dusty tannins.
Other Vintages
2021-
Parker
Robert
Manchuela, a lesser-known Spanish wine region that is inland from Valencia, is where the Bobal varietal thrives, Known for its thick skins and rusticity, controlling the Bobal’s vigor is what makes for a well-balanced and interesting wine. While there are very few defenders of this region and even fewer winemakers that are dedicated to this varietal, Juan Antonio Ponce stands proud as a master and interpreter of the Bobal grape.
Juan Antonio Ponce began his winery in 2005, at the age of 23. He works biodynamically in the vineyard, and in the winery he takes a natural approach, using low levels of sulfur dioxide. His philosophy is to make natural wines with wild yeast fermentation, to respect the local varietal Bobal and to express its terroir.
Juan Antonio Ponce worked as the right-hand man to Telmo Rodriguez at Cia de Vinos Telmo Rodrigues for 5 years. During this time he was in charge of winemaking, vineyard management, etc. His father, who owned some land in Manchuela, decided to start this project with him.
Bobal is enjoying a mini renaissance in Spain today as high-elevation vineyards in its homeland of Utiel-Requena produce dense and velvety wines dominated by dark berry and cocoa characteristics. However, its function as Spain’s second most planted red grape variety was once only for bulk wine and concentrate. Since it is drought-resistant, it does well grown as unirrigated bush vines and acts as a fine voice of terroir. Somm Secret—Bobal also shows great potential for rosé and sparkling wines because of its high levels of acidity and anthocyanins.
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.