I was astounded by what I discovered following a trip to the Southern Levante earlier this year. I admit, even I had largely written it off as no more than a source of perfectly good, but unremarkable, entry-level Spanish reds but what I found was a quiet revolution that had been bubbling over the last 20 years by a host of talented visionaries. This First Release explores two of these visionaries, Pablo Calatayud from Celler del Roure and Toni Sarrion from Bodegas Mustiguillo, reshaping the narrative with the pure, fresh, expressive wines made from indigenous and overlooked ancient grape varieties.
Order by midday, Friday 30th October
Both of these growers went against the grain, looking back to move forward. And, judging by the quality and diversity I’m now seeing, I’m convinced that going back to the future is the way forward for this region. From Bodegas Mustiguillo, where Toni Sarrión has helped transform the global perception of bobal, to Celler del Roure, home to a remarkable 500-year-old cellar housing 97 buried clay amphorae, the four wines in this First Release offer a compelling insight into the extraordinary quality emerging from this corner of Spain’s southern Levante.
Bodegas Mustiguillo: Toni Sarrión
A true trailblazer of Valencian viticulture, Toni Sarrión has been instrumental in changing perceptions of bobal, demonstrating that this oft-underrated grape can produce wines of remarkable finesse and complexity. He has also championed the revival of the native white grape merseguera, with his high-altitude, limestone-rich vineyards providing the ideal conditions for freshness and precision. Relentless in his pursuit of quality and increasingly focused on biodynamic viticulture, Toni is producing some of the region’s most compelling wines.
Celler del Roure: Pablo Calatayud
Warmhearted, curious and deeply committed to his region, Pablo Calatayud has built Celler del Roure around the rediscovery of Valencia’s viticultural heritage. The discovery of an ancient cellar, with its buried clay amphorae and traditional stone fermentation vats, inspired him to revive forgotten local varieties such as arcos and forcallà. By combining these grapes with minimal-intervention winemaking, he is creating a wonderfully individual style of Mediterranean wine: fresh, fine-boned and expressive of its origins, rather than defined by weight or oak.
