Vino tinto, Ad Libitum, Bodega Juan Carlos Sancha (6 unidades)
Bodega Juan Carlos Sancha
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Red Wine, Ad Libitum, Bodega Juan Carlos Sancha (6 units)
75cl bottle. Maturana Pinta 100% Maturana Tinta, a rare native Rioja variety authorized by D.O.Ca. Rioja in 2009, from a vineyard planted in 1997 at 565 meters above sea level on south-facing terraces in the Najerilla Valley.
$73.82
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Entrega cuidada Producto gourmet seleccionado Origen y productor verificados
Original Made in Spain 2025

Located in Baños de Río Tobía (Rioja Alta), in the coldest area and at the cultivation limit of D.O.Ca. Rioja. They own vineyards over 90 years old, as well as others planted in recent years with experimental minority varieties such as Maturana Tinta, Maturana Blanca and Tempranillo Blanco, among others, which have been recovered after a long research process. This unconventional commitment to recovering endangered grape varieties has made it possible to bring back unique varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco and Maturana Tinta.

Technical Sheet

Winery: Estate-owned vineyards in Baños del Río Tobía (La Rioja), harvested by hand.
D.O.Ca. La Rioja
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 14%
Variety: 100% Maturana

Tasting notes: Significant depth of cherry-red color. On the nose it is spicy, with notes of chocolate and green pepper (the latter characteristic of the variety). On the palate it is full-bodied, with refreshing acidity, velvety tannins and a long finish.

Serving temperature: 16-18ºC

Winemaking: Hand-harvested into 15 kg crates during the second week of October. These vineyards yield 5,500 kg per hectare. The 2020 harvest was rated as good in the upper Najerilla; it was a year of very high rainfall in spring and early summer, with significantly lower temperatures.

September and October were dry and warmer than average, combined with very cold night temperatures, resulting in a healthy harvest with interesting characteristics. The harvest had higher production than in previous vintages. The climate has a marked Atlantic influence, in one of the coolest areas of Rioja, with cold winters, mild summers, and long, gentle autumns. The large temperature variation between day and night causes slow ripening, which is highly suitable for the synthesis of polyphenols and aromatic development.

After destemming, the grapes are placed in new 500-liter Tronçais French oak barrels, where they undergo alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation and 11 months of aging in barrels of the same capacity and characteristics.

Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet we recommend it with cured meats / grilled vegetables / beef stew / pasta with mushrooms / grilled lamb, and aged sheep’s and goat’s cheeses.

Organic Viticulture

The project practices organic viticulture in the pursuit of natural wines, true to their terroir, respectful of the environment and healthy. No pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers are used. Over the years, they have achieved a perfect adaptation of the vineyard to its natural complexity, as well as the development of disease resistance, promoting the appropriate, organic growth of the vines.

Their winemaking philosophy is based on the concept of minimal intervention and on preserving purity at every stage of viticulture and winemaking.

Their vineyards are located in Baños de Rio Tobia, in the highest and coolest area of Rioja Alta, at an altitude of 565 to 750 meters above sea level.

The climate is Atlantic-influenced, with cold winters, warm summers and long, mild autumns. The great temperature variation between day and night causes slow ripening, which is highly suitable for the development of polyphenols and aromas and gives our wines great balance and elegance.

Rioja Alavesa: the elite of La Rioja wines

Rioja Alavesa is classified as a subzone within the Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja. It has 13,500 hectares of vineyards and several hundred wineries, producing an annual average of around 40 million liters of wine.

The area produces mainly red wines with specific general characteristics, such as bright, vivid color, a fine aroma, fruity flavor and a pleasant palate. These distinctive qualities are due to the area’s clay-limestone soils, which are excellent for allowing the vines to absorb the moisture they need. The climate and the location of the vineyards, behind the Sierra de Toloño, also contribute to their quality, protecting the vines from cold northern winds and allowing them to make better use of the warmth.

Red wines are the region’s most representative wines and are made from the Tempranillo varieties (around 79% of the total is produced from this grape), Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano.

Young wines, or reds from the year, are mostly made using the traditional carbonic maceration method, in which whole clusters are fermented in a ‘lago’ for between seven and ten days. Once free of skins and stems, they go into vats where they complete fermentation.

Crianza, reserva and gran reserva wines, meanwhile, are made using the Bordeaux method, or destemming. This consists of crushing the grapes after removing the stems and vatting the must with its solids for seven days. After several fermentations, the wines go into barrels for aging. The length of time spent in barrel and bottle determines the difference between crianzas, reservas and grandes reservas.

Because rosé and white wines are increasingly appreciated both within and beyond our borders, winemakers and oenologists are working to produce quality wines in these styles, in a commitment to reaching every market.

Bodega Juan Carlos Sancha

In Rioja, a Qualified Designation of Origin, one grape variety stands above all others: Tempranillo. However, some winemakers are reviving other native grapes, such as Maturana Tinta. This variety, with small, compact clusters, has excellent color intensity and works beautifully with oak. Aging helps polish its tannins and adds volume and silkiness on the palate. Perhaps its low productivity led it to be gradually sidelined until it became a marginal grape. Today, several wineries are working hard to recover this variety in their vineyards and craft excellent wines from it. Together with a colleague, Juan Carlos Sancha began researching every part of the D.O.Ca. Rioja in an effort to discover and recover native varieties that were on the verge of disappearing forever. Nearly 18 varieties had already been lost in a century, and they did not want this steady decline to continue. Thanks to this painstaking detective work, 27 varieties were saved from oblivion, including Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Tinta, Maturana Blanca, and Monastel de Rioja, among others. Once these wonderful varieties were protected, the second phase began: producing fantastic wines from those grapes. He has also created highly elegant wines with Garnacha, once the leading variety in Rioja and now very much in the minority. For all of this work, we have come to call Sancha an “artisan and savior.” Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha is located in Baños de Río Tobía in Rioja Alta, one of the coolest areas of the appellation. The winery has focused its efforts on producing wines from red Garnacha, as well as from minority varieties such as Tempranillo Blanco and the Maturanas, both white and red. Juan Carlos Sancha himself, from his professorship at the University of La Rioja, has participated in the research project to recover native varieties. The 5.5 hectares of vineyards surround the winery and Juan Carlos’s home. The vines, planted at very high densities on poor soils at around 600 meters above sea level, yield grapes of outstanding quality and great concentration. Intervention in the vineyard is minimal and always follows organic principles, with respect for the environment as an essential concept. In a winery with basic equipment, up to six wines are produced, including Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta, Cerro la Isa (Garnacha), and Peña el Gato (Garnacha).
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