Ponce Pino 2023

Ponce is a small family winery in D.O. Manchuela, in Castilla-La Mancha, working native varieties by hand. Pino is a single-variety Bobal drawn from one farm of thirty-five-year-old vines planted at nine hundred metres and farmed by organic methods. The altitude is central to the wine, since the wide swing between warm days and cold nights at this height slows ripening and holds onto acidity, giving Bobal the freshness and lift it can lack on the plains. After a light maceration and treading of the grapes, fermentation runs on yeast carried in from the estate's own vineyard, an ambient ferment that keeps the wine tied to its site. Eleven months in French oak settles the structure and adds a measured frame of spice without burying the fruit. The colour is deep ruby with a violet rim. The nose shows red and black berry, plum and cracked pepper over a savoury, earthy base with a hint of liquorice, and the palate is medium bodied and fresh, with fine tannins and bright acidity into a clean, stony finish. Serve at sixteen degrees. It suits roast lamb, grilled pork and mushroom dishes.