Who: Cinta Moreso Galiana and Carlos Ingala What: Terra Alta / Gredos Where: Vilalba dels Arcs / El Tiemblo When: Since 2021 La Nave de los Locos is a new project by two young and super enthusiastic producers who are parlaying their love of wine and nature into production. Cinta is a translator and trained … Continue reading La Nave de los Locos
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Nude. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: a new vineyard for Raul and Laura after they relinquished their interest in the Forcipula vineyard. It’s their first semi-carbonic maceration wine, with no barrel to add any makeup, thus Nude. A mere 650 bottles. Vines Location: Tietar Valley (Ávila) Size: 1,5 hectare(different small vines) Age: … Continue reading Raúl Calle Nude
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Naturi G. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: formerly part of Diabolesa, now Raul and Laura are making a Cuvée for each grape. So this is G after Garnacha but still from Tieta Valley. Vines Location: Tietar Valley (Ávila). Size: 1,5 hectare (differents small vines). Age: planted around 1950. Soils: granite sands and … Continue reading Raúl Calle Naturi G
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Naturi T. Colour: Red. Grapes: Tempranillo. About: formerly Diabolesa, now Raul and Laura are making a Cuvée for each grape. T is named after Tempranillo from the Tietar valley near Ávila, where it works really well, differently from Garnacha in the Gredos. Vines Location: Tietar Valley (Ávila). Size: 1.5 hectare. Age: planted … Continue reading Raúl Calle Naturi T
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Picaflor. Colour: White. Grapes: Malvasia 80% and Malvar 20%. About: the latest addition to the range, from a vineyard they took on believing it to be Malvar which they love, only to discover it was Malvasia. No problem, the fruit became beautifully ripe and tasted great so they vinified it separately. Picaflor … Continue reading Raúl Calle Picaflor
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Rinconada. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: One of four micro-production single vineyard plots of pure Garnacha made in 2017 aged in barrique, then aged 2 years in bottle before release, just 300b each. Vines Location: Rinconada is 20km from Fabio’s base in El Tiemblo. Size: a few plants. Age: planted … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Rinconada
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: El Burgillo. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: One of four micro-production single vineyard plots of pure Garnacha made in 2017 aged in barrique, then aged 2 years in bottle before release, just 300b each. Vines Location: El Burgillo vineyard is 5km from Fabio’s base in El Tiemblo. Size: a few … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Burgillo
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Airén. Colour: White. Grapes: Airén. About: Fabio’s version of Spain’s most planted and native grape variety. So this is what it really tastes like! Vines Location: 2 parcels in Morata de Tajuña, about 20km south east of Madrid, 125km from El Tiemblo. Size: 1h and 0.6ha. Age: planted around 1980. … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Airén
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Rosado. Colour: Rosé. Grapes: Garnacha. About: New in 2019, a micro production of Rosé as real wine, with weight, texture, colour and plenty of spicy flavour. Just 500 bottles. Vines Location: El Tiemblo, Sierra de Gredos. Size ha: 1. Age: vines planted 1980. Soils: poor, chalky. Exposition: south. Altitude: 750m. … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Rosado
Almost everything we know about Raúl Calle’s wines for now has been posted here! Raúl and Laura Calle are making brilliant, individualistic wines in the Gredos in a completely different style from some perhaps better known producers like their friend and equally iconoclastic Fabio Bartolomei (see here) or larger, much more polished producers like Comando … Continue reading Raúl Calle Viticultor information posted!
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Churumbi. Colour: pink. Grapes: Grenache Noir. About: the name means “child” in gypsy language so this wine is for their son Burno. It’s a gorgeous, complex rosado that fizzes with energy, fermented and aged in old American oak, only 600-1000 bottles, depending the year. Vines Location: Tietar Valley (Ávila). Size: 1 hectare. … Continue reading Raúl Calle Churumbi
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Diabolesa. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha 60% and Tempranillo 40%. About: named after an insect shown on the label called an Empussa pennata that Laura found while working one day in the vineyard and representative of the rich insect life that can inhabit an organically farmed vineyard. It’s a rich, elegant and complex … Continue reading Raúl Calle Diabolesa
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Forcipula. Colour: Red. Grapes: Garnacha. About: named after the tool Raúl uses to measure the diameter of trees in his day job. This is a powerful and complex red from granite soils, made in open oak barrels and bottled early to capture the fruit freshness, only 500 bottles. Discontinued in 2019. Vines … Continue reading Raúl Calle Forcipula
Appellation: none. Cuvée: Malavara. Colour: White. Grapes: Malvar. About: named after the grape and the word for bad or ungracious, in reference to the variety, often looked down on as a “little, local” grape. It’s a vibrant and energetic skin contact white, so expect some orange, fermented in open oak barrels and plastic and aged … Continue reading Raúl Calle Malavara
Who: Raúl and Laura Calle What: Vino de España Where: Sierra de Gredos When: Since 2013 The Story Please note Vinos Naturi is the new name (2022) for Raúl and Laura’s business formerly known as Raúl Calle Viticoltores. Raúl is a forest engineer and teacher by vocation based in the easternmost point of the Sierra de … Continue reading Vinos Naturi
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: La Gatta Mormigliana. Colour: Red. Grapes: Tempranillo. About: Possibly, Fabio’s most “Spanish” wine, using the nationally ubiquitous grape, to make a rustic, full-on style of wine that bursts with fruit. The splendid label was designed by an Italian artist who lives in Lisbon and is based on a “scary” children’s … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Tempranillo La Gatta Mormigliana
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Chelva. Colour: White. Grapes: Chelva. About: From local grape variety Chelva made and aged in stainless steel. A highly original, unusual wine, with the appearance of cloudy apple juice. Almost cheesy aromatics. Not for everyone but a wine that’s clean, alive and fun. Vines Location: El Tiemblo, Sierra de Gredos. … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Chelva
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Malvar. Colour: White. Grapes: Malvar. About: From local grape variety Malvar, from one hectare of vines planted around 1900. Sees 2 to 3 days on skins in stainless before being moved to amphora. There’s also a stainless steel version of this wine – sometimes. Vines Location: near Villarejo in the … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Malvar
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Doris. Colour: White. Grapes: Doré. About: From rare local grape variety Doré, a wine like nothing else (except other wines from Fabio), quite light in alcohol but intensely aromatic, processed very simply. Vines Location: 3km from El Tiemblo toward Cebreros in the Gredos region. Size ha: 1. Age: vines planted … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Doris
Appellation: Vino de España. Cuvée: Alba. Colour: White. Grapes: Albillo. About: From local grape variety Albillo Real (or Royal), from one hectare of vines planted around 1960. Vines Location: 1 km from El Tiemblo in the Gredos region. Size ha: 1. Age: vines planted around 1960. Soils: granite and sandy. Exposition: North. Altitude: 750m. Training: … Continue reading Viños Ambiz Alba Albillo
Everything we know about Fabio’s wines for now has been posted here! Fabio is a unique voice in the trendy but still unknown Sierra de Gredos region west of Madrid. It’s a large, dispersed mountainous area with a sea of abandoned vineyards from another age which producers like Fabio are slowly recovering. Fabio is entirely self-taught, his wines … Continue reading Viños Ambiz information posted!
Who: Fabio Bartolomei. What: Vino de España, Sierra de Gredos. Where: El Tiemblo, Avila, Madrid. When: Since 2003. The Story Viños Ambiz is a very small producer of natural wines based just west of Madrid in the now rather fashionable region of Sierra de Gredos. It’s run by Fabio Bartolomei an Italian born and raised … Continue reading Viños Ambiz
