Cien Y Pico, `En Vaso` Manchuela Bobal

When four winemakers (Australian Zar Brooks, his Bulgarian wife Elena Golakova Brooks, Spaniard Luis Jiménez García and Italian Nicola Tucci) came across old Garnacha Tintorera vines in Manchuela, south-eastern Spain, they were shocked to find them being dug up. Their determination to save and celebrate these ancient vines led them to found Cien y Pico. The project's name translates to ‘hundred and something’ as a nod to the age of these historic vineyards.

Cien y Pico’s old, low-yielding, bush-trained vines give vibrant colour, fruit concentration and flavour to their wines, while the excellence of the winemaking ensures that the natural power of the vines, traditionally used in blending, is sculpted into something nicely rounded, balanced and ideal for drinking now. Their four vineyards are all located on the Meseta (or ‘plateau’) of Castilla-La Mancha. With only 300 millimetres of rain per year, the plateau is extremely dry, though the deep-rooted old vines thrive in the low-vigour, limestone-rich soils. The mountains surrounding the Meseta offer protection from the icy winters while, in summer, the intense sun, at this elevation of nearly 1,000 metres, warms and ripens the grapes to perfection.

The ‘Doble Pasta’ Garnacha Tintorera (also known as Alicante Bouschet) is opaque purple in colour and full-bodied with a savoury meatiness, smooth tannins and a lovely natural acidity. The ‘En Vaso’ Bobal, spends 12 months in mainly used oak barriques, creating a soft wine with juicy tannins and a lifted, fresh finish. The four winemakers modestly refer to the wines as being “fresh-picked fruit off the vine, with just a little winemaking”.