Bobal

Who makes Bobal around Requena

In Casas de Eufemia near Requena you find Héctor Benavente of Viña de Eufemia, who lets herbs and shrubs grow between the vines, and José Luis Torres Carpio of Carres, who farms his 2.5 hectares or so by the lunar calendar. Vicente García and Ana Suria founded Pago de Tharsys in Requena in 2002. Vera de Estenas in Utiel dates from 1945 and is now run by Félix Martínez, the third generation. Verónica Romero from Los Duques is the first in her family to make wine from their own vines instead of selling the grapes to the co-operative.

Why Bobal was underrated for so long is told in our Bobal story, and the wider area has its own page, Utiel-Requena.

One wine from each estate

Bobal brings plenty of colour and firm acidity, and how both come across in the glass depends a lot on the vessel. Our advice: if you have found Bobal too heavy so far, try the amphora-aged Los Renteros before you give up on the grape.

• Noria Tinto de Eufemia 2025, six months in wooden casks. 80 percent Bobal from old vines in the Noria vineyard, with 20 percent Merlot.
• Carres Olivastro 2022, used French barriques. The bush vines of the Olivastro plot are over 100 years old and never irrigated.
• Alegría de Tharsys Bobal Organic 2023, twelve months in French oak. The plots lie at 700 metres, facing south-east.
• Vera de Estenas Reserva Edición Limitada 2020, fermented with wild yeasts in concrete, then 17 months in new French barrels.
• Verónica Romero Los Renteros 2024, five months in 600-litre clay amphorae under a layer of flor. The bush vines, about 77 years old, grow at Las Monjas near Venta del Moro.

Casa Don Ángel 2019, 2020 and 2021

From Vera de Estenas we stock the Casa Don Ángel in 2019, 2020 and 2021, all pure Bobal at 15 percent, from bush vines at 800 metres at the foot of the Sierra del Remedio. The 2019 spent 15 months in used French barrels and shows red berries, toasty notes and dried herbs over grainy tannins. The 2020 and the 2021 each had 24 months in Allier oak; they are garnet red and darker in fruit. We would start with the 2019, the oldest of the run.