100% Bobal from organic vineyards at 2,300 feet. Planted in 1950. Spontaneous fermentation and aged for 12 months in concrete. Racking by gravity for most of the winemaking process. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Only 166 cases made. Totally natural and made without added sulfites.
Tasting Notes
This is sleek and grippy, showing excellent tannic structure, dark fruit notes of plums, elderberries and black cherries, and notes of black licorice and star anise. With sweet hints and plenty of fruit and a perfect balance of acidity, tannins and alcohol that allow a pleasant long lasting taste.
About Vega Valterra
A scant 70 kilometres (as the crow flies) from the heaving beaches and ancient attractions of València lies the comparatively quiet hinterland home of Utiel-Requena, one of Spain’s Denominación de Origen (DO) wine areas. The two somewhat sleepy small towns of Utiel and Requena form the centre of the region with its characteristic red soils.
With low rainfall and low humidity, the microclimate there is excellently suited for organic wine growing. Without much care or even intervention, the grapes ripen easily even in more difficult years and the berries are always rich in aroma and alcohol potential. Thanks to the gentle hand-picking of the Tempranillo, Merlot and indigenous Bobal grapes from ancient vines, the harvest reaches the small traditional wine cellar unscathed and makes many tricks unneccessary even when working in the cellar. For example, Jose Luis and Javier have been working exclusively with natural yeasts for years, the strong red wines are stable and need only a minimum of extra sulphur.
When a few years ago, mostly young wine lovers were increasingly in demand for ‘natural’ wines, we all didn’t really know what exactly this meant. This has not yet been clarified in detail (2020), but in discussions with the two winegrowers it became clear to us just over two years ago that this is exactly what has been around in the Bodegas Proexa for many years: Natural wine without much frills. For Jose Luis it was quickly clear that in addition to the well-known Vega Valterra wines, which are always low-sulphur and ‘natural’, we also get a wine without adding sulphur. Thus, the idea of Bobal was born from 85-year-old vines without sulphur additives, implemented with the 2017 vintage and immediately decorated with gold medal.
