Bodegas Ponce P.F. Bobal 2020
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThe 2020 P.F. shows the purity and potential of Bobal from ancient ungrafted vines (P.F. stand for "pie franco," which in the Spanish language means "ungrafted") from limestone-rich soils at 900 meters in altitude in a textbook Mediterranean vintage. The wine is complex and mineral with a chalky sensation, with supple tannins and great length. It fermented with 100% full clusters in open-top 4,500-liter French oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in those same vats for 10 months. It has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.55. This has the depth of the nose, with terrific balance. For Juan Antonio Ponce, this is his more precise vintage, a little above the 2018, a year with great balance. Rating : 95+
Manchuela, a lesser-known Spanish wine region that is inland from Valencia, is where the Bobal varietal thrives, Known for its thick skins and rusticity, controlling the Bobal’s vigor is what makes for a well-balanced and interesting wine. While there are very few defenders of this region and even fewer winemakers that are dedicated to this varietal, Juan Antonio Ponce stands proud as a master and interpreter of the Bobal grape.
Juan Antonio Ponce began his winery in 2005, at the age of 23. He works biodynamically in the vineyard, and in the winery he takes a natural approach, using low levels of sulfur dioxide. His philosophy is to make natural wines with wild yeast fermentation, to respect the local varietal Bobal and to express its terroir.
Juan Antonio Ponce worked as the right-hand man to Telmo Rodriguez at Cia de Vinos Telmo Rodrigues for 5 years. During this time he was in charge of winemaking, vineyard management, etc. His father, who owned some land in Manchuela, decided to start this project with him.
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.
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.