A winery of the DO Alicante, Bodegas Enrique Mendoza began when Enrique Mendoza decided to continue the tradition of the Marina Baixa of producing wine for family consumption. Since then, the estate has grown considerably with the ambition to make wines that reflect the Mediterranean character of the climate and soil. Growing international and native varieties like Monastrell and Roman Muscat, Bodegas Enrique Mendoza is in search of expressive, terroir-driven wines. Since the first documented cultivation of the farm dates to the 16th century, they have adopted a philosophy of minimal intervention to protect the land for centuries to come.
While the winery officially began in 1989, Enrique Mendoza had been making wine for his family at home for years. Before founding the estate, Mendoza was simply a merchant with a keen interest in wine, collecting and investing in other wineries. Eventually, he started purchasing vineyards and tending to his own vines, and his first bottles arrived to market in 1990. The estate is now carried on by Mendoza's son, Julian.
THE TEAM
JulianMendozaisthegeneralmanagerofthefamilywinery. He holds a masters in enology, viticulture and wine marketing, but in more recent years has studied the cultivationofolivetrees.Theestate’soliveoilproductionhas centeredonrecuperatinglocalvarietiesofthefruit.
WinemakerSoniaLlorenteearnedhermaster’sinviticulture and enology in Madrid and has more than 20 years of experienceworkingthroughoutSpain.
General Manager: JulianMendoza
SUSTAINABLE VALUES
Enrique Mendoza built a wastewater treatment plant in 2020. Water from the winemaking processispurifiedbeforereturningittothelocal Castellaraquifer.
Many organic practices in the vineyards aim to respecttheenvironmentandbiodiversity.Green cover crops are used in many plots to protect the soil and fix nitrogen. Later, they are composted in the soil. Vine treatments are organic, such as the use of pheromones to controlinsectpopulations.
TERROIR
Locatedatanaverageof1,650feet(503me)abovesealevel in areas with an old riverbed and scrubland, the vineyard has soils of varied profiles: from the fine and sandy loam sands of the Estrecho pago, to stony soil profiles formed by gravels in theElChaconerovineyard.
El Chaconero is a very unusual vineyard. The layers of subsoil are not horizontal but oblique, resulting in numerous small plots with totally different soils. Gravel or sandy-silty or totally sandyplotscanbefoundinthesamevineyard.
The microclimate is relatively extreme for the province of Alicante, despite the proximity to the coast (about 37 miles or 60 km). Considered a continental Mediterranean climate, the microclimate is a transition between the two, with cold wintersandwarmersummersthanonthecoast.
GOOD TO KNOW
Finca El Chaconero, or "Las Tierras del Charco de Enero" (The Lands of the January Pond), is one of Enrique Mendoza’s most important pagos. The first documents that refer to the cultivation of this plot on the estate date from the 16th century, and state that it rained so much between the months of September and October that its lands remained flooded until January. Hence its name: TheLandsoftheJanuaryPond .
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
CULTIVATION
Natural farming is prioritized at Bodegas Enrique Mendoza. Indigenous yeasts are used, and insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers are all avoided in favor of biodynamic practices. Poor soils are augmented with organic sheep manure compost. Vines are placed under the optimal level of hydric stress to produce small, concentrated grapes and computerized sensors monitormoisturelevelsinthevineyard,adjustingirrigationaccordingly.Plotswithbushvinesaredryfarmed.
WINEMAKING
Bodegas Enrique Mendoza’s philosophy revolves around making fruit-forward, balanced wines with elegant tannins. In order to maintain freshness and the proper levels of acidity, a tool called a Dyostem is used which shows the growth of the berryandsugarcontenttoidentifytheoptimalmomentofcollection.Fermentationtakesplaceatcontrolledtemperatures in stainless steel tanks with a proportion of whole cluster grapes. Malolactic fermentation happens in tanks and/or barrels, followed by aging in French oak barrels and foudres of 2,000 L. Aging times are determined by variety and the vintage, alwaysrespectingthefruit,freshnessandcharacterofeachvariety.
The Monastrell of the Estrecho pago is trained in the traditional goblet form and is strictly dry-farmed. This helps control yields and produce concentrated but balanced fruit.
Both vineyards benefit from the higher altitude and climate conditions which help maintain the grapes’ acidity. The aromas of the rich surrounding scrubland are reflected in the cuvées from Estrecho and Las Quebradas.
Pagos de España winery?
EnriqueMendozabelievesindefendingpago-specific
BODEGAS ENRIQUE
MENDOZA PORTFOLIO:
Estrecho, Las Quebradas. Santa Rosa, Dolç and Finca Xaconero
Estrecho
DOP Alicante
Varieties
100% Monastrell
Vinification
Vinification to ensure gentle extraction, 16 months in 500 L French oak barrels
Good to Know
Grapes from the Estrecho pago
Las Quebradas
DOP Alicante
Varieties
100% Monastrell
Vinification
Vinification to ensure gentle extraction, 16 months in 500 L French oak barrels
Good to Know
Grapes from the Las Quebradas pago
BODEGAS E. MENDOZA
Camino del Romeral, 42
3580 Alfaz del Pi
Alicante
BODEGASMENDOZA.COM
@BODEGASEMENDOZA
Contact: Julián Mendoza
julian@bodegasmendoza.com
Framed by the medieval castle of Alarcón to the west and the Hoces del Cabriel nature preserve to the east, Finca Sandoval is located in Ledaña, between the Júcar and Cabriel rivers in the DO Manchuela. With 62 acres (25 ha) of organically farmed vineyards, Finca Sandoval is preserving parcels of old traditional varietals and reviving the viticultural tradition in this little-known area of Spain .
Finca Sandoval began in 1998 when journalist and food critic Víctor de la Serna decided to plant a vineyard of Syrah and an experimental plot of the Portuguese variety Touriga Nacional. In 2019, Anta Winteries acquired the estate. Anta’s wine-loving entrepreneurs, led by Ángel and Germán García-Cordero and the former director of Freixenet, Diego Jiménez, recognized the potential to produce high-quality wines from the many 50-year-old vineyard plots that make this region unique in Spain
From the left: Co-CEO Germán García-Cordero, President Ángel García-Cordero, Co-CEO Diego Jiménez
In 2019, Finca Sandoval added winemaking and viticulture advisor Javi Revert to the team. He brings a more contemporary style to the wines, and has worked to recover old plots of the area, especially the Bobal variety. This work is reflected in the scores and commentsofwinecritics.
Winemaker: Javier Revert and Winery Partner Germán GarcíaCordero
SUSTAINABLE VALUES
All plots at Finca Sandoval, whether owned or leased, are certified organic and cultivated without phytosanitary additives. Committed to sustainable ecological practices, Finca Sandoval has incorporated biodynamic methods, such as bottling wines in accordance with the biodynamic calendar.
TERROIR
Finca Sandoval is primarily defined by its altitude, which reaches upwards of 2,625 feet (800 meters). This altitude gives the wines a notablefreshnesswithoutsacrificingtheirMediterraneancharacter.
The Mediterranean climate has long, very dry, hot summers. When combined with the altitude, these conditions yield great thermal amplitude, lengthening the growth cycle and producing more balancedripeningofthegrapes.
The clay soils have an important limestone component. The vines rest on a limestone rock-base called tuesca in Manchuela, with depthsrangingfrom16to40inches(41to102cm).Soilcomposition is primarily sandstones and conglomerates, with layers of yellowish sandyloamsandlimestones.
Paraje Casablanca, Finca Sandoval’s largest parcel with 62 acres (25 ha) and four grape varieties, contains five distinct soil types. They show differences in levels of key components like organic material, calcium carbonate or iron. The winery vinifies each variety and soil typeseparatelytomaintainthecharacterofeach.
GOOD TO KNOW
Sandoval champions the Bobal variety.Whilethegrapeiswidely planted, it doesn’t enjoy the reputation of more commonly understoodEuropeanvarieties.The medium-bodiedredgrapemakes wineswithcrisp,structuredacidity.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
CAREFUL VITICULTURE
In2020,FincaSandovalchangedthetrainingandpruningsystemstoencouragegreaterdevelopmentofthecanopy.This promoted shading of the bunches, which yields larger, more concentrated fruit and wines of more fluidity, freshness and elegance.
AGING IN CLAY
Recovering local winemaking practices for their Fundamentalista bottling, Finca Sandoval is experimenting with clay amphora known as las tinajas – the traditional aging vessels of Manchuela. The team feels wine aged in the amphora best expresses the estate’s terroir and their work in the vineyard. The clay’s porosity allows the winemakers to perform controlledmicro-oxygenationwhilepreservingintensityoffruitandthefreshnessofthewine.
ART OF BLENDING
Finca Sandoval maintains the European tradition of blended wines, even when one variety dominates. For instance, their Finca Sandoval bottling is primarily from low-yield, old-vine Syrah, but it is blended with native grape varieties like Monastrell,GarnachaandBobaltoaddcomplexityandlocalcharacter.
Moravia Agria is an heirloom grape native to Manchuela, the only DO that permits its use in wine. It is a sensitive variety with very thin skin that produces relatively low alcohol content (approx. 12.5%) and notable acidity. Finca Sandoval uses Moravia Agria in blends to add freshness and acidity.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Finca Sandoval?
Finca Sandoval is driven by the desire to make wine that reflects the specific terroir of their various plots. For example, La Fundamentalista is a field blend sourced from a high elevation plot where old-vine Bobal is coplanted with Moravia, Marisancho and Tortosina. The fruit is co-fermented, allowing the vineyard character to shape the wine. The resulting winesshowgreatverticality,acidityandfreshness.
Salia, on the other hand, is composed of Syrah, Bobal and Touriga Nacional from separate plots. They are vinified separately to preserve the identity of their growing site. The predominantly clay soils yield wines that are round on the palate with more volumeandintensefruit.
FINCA SANDOVAL PORTFOLIO:
Fundamentalista, Salia, Finca Sandoval, Signo Bobal, La Rosa, Aurora
Finca Sandoval DO Manchuela
Varieties
80% Syrah, 15% Bobal, 5% Moravia Agria
Vinification
Singularities of the Winery
FincaSandovalhasworkedtoputManchuelabackon the viticultural map, recovering the best of the area’s vines and winemaking traditions. Their combination of new and old technology is uncovering layers of expressionoftheirfruitandterroir.
Why is Finca Sandoval a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
Finca Sandoval is a founding member of GPE. Victor de la Serna has long been a champion of single-estate wines that display characteristics of a particular soil type, orientation, microclimate or cultivar – the definition of pago wines. Like fellow members, they produce wines in harmony with the soil,climateandnatureofeachpago.
Vinified with 40% whole cluster fruit, spontaneous fermentation with natived yeast; aged 18 months in large foudres
Good to Know
Blend from the best parcels of the Casablanca vineyard
Vinified with 40% whole cluster fruit, spontaneous fermentation with native yeast; aged 10 months in 300 L French oak barrels
Good to Know
All fruit comes from the same municipality
Salia DO Manchuela
Mustiguillo is a family winery located in the Valencian highlands on the El Terrerazo estate Here, vines grow in a unique microclimate equally influenced by the nearby mountains and Mediterranean Sea, making Mustiguillo unlike any other estate in Southern Spain. Focused on the recovery and celebration of native varieties such as Bobal and Merseguera, the estate is proudly regionally-focused and terroir-driven. From thorough soil studies to careful organic viticulture and explorations in biodynamic farming, the winery is at the forefront of new and exciting experiments in Spanish wine.
Mustiguillo was founded on estate built in the 19th century and acquired by the Sarrión family in 1970. Yet, it wasn’t until Toni Sarrión left his career in business administration to dedicate himself to winemaking that Mustiguillo as we know it today took shape. Mustiguillo is the pioneer and current benchmark for quality Bobal. In 2004, Quincha Corral 2001 was the first 100% Bobal wine rated by Robert Parker (95 points), while Decanter recognized Finca Terrerazo in 2014 as the best Spanish red wine. In 2019, Mustiguillo celebrated the centenary of Terrerazo 1919, the first vintage produced at the estate and documented at the time by famed enologist and agricultural engineer Rafael Janini.
THE TEAM
With his passion and dedication, Winemaker Toni Sarrión is the heart of the winery. He has earned the nickname “Mr. Bobal” thanks to his efforts to promote thisnativevariety.
The viticulture team is led by María Rodríguez and Fernando Garcia with a focus on biodynamic practices. Isabel Cano is the second winemaker leading day-to-day operations and putting into practice Toni’s philosophy.
Winemaker: ToniSarrión
SUSTAINABLE VALUES
Mustiguillo practices 100% organic viticulture, with emphasis on conserving the flora and fauna of the environment. To encourage soil health, they use natural compost of manure with pulverized pruned leaves and canes, as well as soil treatments such as tillage in alternate rows and vegetable cover crops. The cover crops are mixed (spontaneously mixed with radish seeds, mustard and vetch) and defined according to the plot, variety, type of wine and winter rainfall. This promotes microbiotaintheir soils.
In 2010, DOP El Terrerazo became the first single estate denomination in the Mediterranean region.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
NATIVE VARIETIES
Mustiguillo focuses on expressing origin by working with native grapes like Bobal and Merseguera, with the belief that these grapes best transmit a genuine sense of place. Before the efforts of Mustiguillo, these varieties were largely underratedandseenasmoresuitableforbulkproduction.
LOW YIELDS
Bobal and Merseguera are naturally vigorous, productive varieties. Toni Sarrión has employed many techniques to lower yields;bunchthinning,covercropsanddryfarmingareamongkeyoptionstosuccessfullycultivatehigh-qualitygrapes.
LOW INTERVENTION
Mustiguillo believes low-intervention winemaking is the key to crafting the terroir-driven wines that will best express the character of their pagos. Parcels are fermented separately, exclusively with native yeasts and free-run must. Avoiding over-extraction, gentle racking by gravity and use of neutral vessels like oak vats or concrete tanks for maturation preserve eleganceandMediterraneanflavors.
Agingpotentialisone of Finca Calvestra’s virtues. This rare quality for a Mediterraneanwhite wine results from careful winemaking and Merseguera’s low pH. The wine’s typicity starts to show from the fourthyearonwards.
How is the terroir reflected in the wines of Mustiguillo?
The terroir of Mustiguillo is perhaps best understood through their Bobal wines. The fruit of Finca Terrerazo is marked by the extreme climate, high elevation and its old vines, giving it a distinctive Mediterranean character, intensecolorandbalancedacidity.
Old-vine Bobal is planted among groves of pine, oak, and olive, as well as rosemary, fennel and thyme that tingethefruit.
The expression of the limestone soil is noticeable in a slight chalky sensation on the palate, a savoriness and a verticalnose,resultinginalong,elegantwine.
Singularities of the Winery
Their pagos El Terrerazo and Finca Calvestra are a viticultural benchmark for Bobal and Merseguera. Toni Sarrión has worked to study all aspects of each individual plot individually, with a persistent curiosity tounderstandtheestate’sterroir.
Why is Mustiguillo a Grandes Pagos de España winery?
Committed to respecting the origin and typicity of their wines, Mustiguillo joined GPE to promote visibility of their unique terroir. Mustiguillo has found a home with the other GPE wineries, where all work to learn more about their land, vines and the surroundingenvironment.
