2023 Ponce La Xara Garnacha

Tucked away in Manchuela, roughly two and a half hours south of Madrid, Juan Antonio Ponce is quietly producing some the best value Spanish wines. After honing his craft under Telmo Rodriguez and spending a formative stint in Beaujolais, Juan Antonio returned to his family's 80-year-old vineyards in Iniesta to prove that the often-maligned Bobal grape could be a vehicle for world-class elegance rather than just rustic bulk wine. By farming 70 hectares of high-altitude, dry-grown vines with incredibly low density, he maintains a meagre average yield of just 2 tonnes per hectare, resulting in a modest annual production of 170,000 bottles that prioritise concentration and freshness. His signature move is a 100% whole-cluster fermentation for all his reds, a technique that, combined with the region's nutrient-rich soils and 800m+ elevation, produces wines that are remarkably fragrant, poised, and powerful.

Other Reviews...
Their pure Garnacha 2023 La Xara shows finesse and elegance and is fresh and Mediterranean. It matured in an 11,000-liter oak vat and 600-liter barrels. It has 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.5 grams of acidity per liter of wine. None of their wines are fined, filtered or cold stabilized. It has a bright ruby color and a serious and complex nose beyond what the price might suggest. It has a combination of red and black fruit, Mediterranean herbs, a medium-bodied palate, with bones, freshness and juicy fruit. It's still very young and tender, but it will grow in bottle and gain in complexity. 13,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in April 2024. Drink 2025-2027.
93 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is so tangy, peppery and bright, with grilled grapefruit, white pepper and touches of botanicals, ginseng, tile and minerals. The palate is full of energy even without the support of high acidity. Instead, this is supple and really firm. Amazing value for the money, with superb drinkability. You could really down this easily, but that doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Enjoy now.
94 points
Zekun Shuai - JamesSuckling.com