Winemaker Notes
Aromas of juicy blackberry and boysenberries. A smooth, medium bodied red with a hints of spice, mineral and earthy notes. It has a nice minerally acid that holds this well-structured wine together. Complete with a clean and fresh finis
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A pretty nose of raspberries, dried flowers, orange peel, walnut husk and baking spice. It’s medium-bodied with sleek tannins and bright acidity. Lively and juicy with a delicious, fresh finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Clos Lojen, one of their most important wines, has an amazing quality-to-price ratio and is approachable enough for new consumers. All of their reds ferment with 100% stems, and this matured in oak vats for six months. This is quite fruit-driven and open, with a very expressive nose. I tasted this next to the 2021, and this has 1% more alcohol, but it's still only 13%. That makes the wine juicier and fruitier, and the 2021 is sharper and more austere. It has notes of strawberry and raspberry with just a faint earthy touch. It was bottled in March 2021.
Bobal is enjoying a mini renaissance in Spain today as high-elevation vineyards in its homeland of Utiel-Requena produce dense and velvety wines dominated by dark berry and cocoa characteristics. However, its function as Spain’s second most planted red grape variety was once only for bulk wine and concentrate. Since it is drought-resistant, it does well grown as unirrigated bush vines and acts as a fine voice of terroir. Somm Secret—Bobal also shows great potential for rosé and sparkling wines because of its high levels of acidity and anthocyanins.
The Moors gave it the name, ‘Manxa,’ which fittingly means ‘parched earth.’ La Mancha, the largest Spanish wine producing region in all of Spain, is one of its hottest and driest. Sturdy and drought-resistant white varieietes like Airen, Viura and Verdejo thrive in this environment.