La Casilla

La Casilla is a red wine from Manchuela, produced by Bodegas y Viñedos Ponce. This winery is located in the town of Iniesta, southeast of Cuenca, at the eastern end of Castilla La Mancha.

The winery is the result of a family project led by Juan Antonio Ponce, whose main purpose is to publicise the virtues of varieties originating in Manchuela: the Bobal, the Moravia Agria and Albilla; also currently in danger of extinction.

The wine, La Casilla, in this case, is a varietal Bobal, made with grapes from old vines between 35 and 70 years old. These are grown on soils with limestone and clay components. The climate of the area is continental, characterised by low humidity due to the lack of rain between May and September. Moreover, large thermal fluctuations that occur between day and night favour the proper ripening of the grapes.

Regarding preparation, La Casilla is aged for 10 months in French oak barrels of 600 litres. Finally, before being released to the market, La Casilla is bottled unfiltered and unclarified in order to preserve its personality.

The 2013 vintage of La Casilla has been extraordinary and has been recognised in the Parker guide who rated it with a score of 93/100.