Bodegas Gratias 'Sol' Manchuela DO 2022

Based in the village of Casas-Ibañez in Manchuela (just outside of the DO, about 75 miles west of Valencia), Bodegas Gratias is a winemaking family affair—a partnership between trained oenologists Iván and Ana Gómez, and José Araque, and his astrologist wife Silvia, who, while at a party, decided on a whim to make some wine together. The results were unexpectedly delicious and, with each passionate about reviving the area’s vinous heritage, they decided to have a real go at it. Today, the four dry farm 10 or so hectares of bush vines to produce what they call ethical wine, “wine grown, cultivated, produced and made from a place of respect, honesty, happiness and enthusiasm on the part of everyone who shares the work, as well as by those who consume the wine.” Though they work with a few widely known grapes like bobal, most of their production is dedicated to nearly extinct and historically overlooked indigenous varieties, grown organically and biodynamically, and manipulated minimally in the cellar. This bottling exemplifies their mission: It’s made from Tardana, a rarely seen and extremely late ripening white grape (usually not harvested until November!). After a gentle pressing, about a third of the wine is moved to clay amphora (called tinajas) for fermentation and three months aging on the lees. Aromatic and immediately appealing, it’s creamy and floral, with golden apple and fleshy Comice pear flavors, pleasant minerality and well-balanced acidity. Certified biodynamic, sustainably grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.