Ponce "Depaula" Monastrell '24

Manchuela is one of Spain’s great high-altitude inland zones—vineyards set between the Júcar and Cabriel rivers, where warm, sunny days are balanced by cooler nights thanks to elevation. The best sites here often sit on limestone-rich soils, giving the wines a welcome freshness and definition even in a very Mediterranean climate. It’s a region that quietly excels at reds with both ripeness and lift—especially from local grapes that love heat but still hold onto energy.

Bodegas y Viñedos Ponce is a family project created with the 2005 vintage, built around the Ponce family’s inherited vineyards and a mission to give real value to old, dry-farmed vines in Manchuela. Their philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: work respectfully in the vineyard, harvest by hand, and make wines that feel Mediterranean in spirit—but fresh, balanced, and drinkable. While they’ve become famous for championing grapes like Bobal and Albilla, Depaula shows their talent with Monastrell when it’s grown in the right place and handled with restraint.

“Depaula” is 100% Monastrell, coming from 30+ year old vines on calcareous (limestone) soils—a key reason this wine feels more precise than many richer, heavier examples of the variety. The winemaking leans intentionally low-intervention: native-yeast fermentation, often with a good portion of whole clusters, and aging in large-format French oak vats/foudre for roughly seven months—more about gentle oxygen and texture than oak flavor. It’s typically bottled without fining or filtration, keeping the wine vivid and expressive.

The 2024 is pure, modern Monastrell with a regional twist: blackberry and dark cherry, sun-warmed herbs, and a distinctly savory edge—often a little tomato vine / balsamic character that makes it feel instantly Mediterranean rather than “international.” The texture is juicy and supple, but there’s enough structure and earthy grip to keep it serious at the table. 

Order a second bottle of this so that you can braise beef cheeks in the wine, along with carrots, onion, garlic, pimentón, herbs, tomato paste, beef stock and orange zest. A perfect winter dinner.