From: Manchuela, Spain
Varietal: Moravia Agria
Taste & Critical Acclaim: I mostly agree with John Gilman’s review below, except that as of early 2024, the fruit has pulled back from darker fruit tones to showcase red fruit hues and a smattering of pepper and herbs like pink peppercorn, a dash of white pepper, and cardamom. Tangy fruit, tannins, and acids on the palate keep things fresh, slightly rustic, and bistro-esque. This unique, delicious, rustic wine calls for charcuterie and chorizo with friends.
91 Points (2020 vintage review) -John Gilman, View From the Cellar
“2020 Manchuela- Rus Jimenez (Mary Taylor Selections) The 2020 Manchuela from Rus Jimenez (and selected by Mary Taylor) is crafted from the Moravia Agria grape, which I have never previously had the pleasure to taste. The wine is made from forty-five year-old vines, fermented with native yeasts and raised in stainless steel. The 2020 version offers up a deep and complex, black fruity bouquet of cassis, dark berries, tree bark, coffee bean, dark soil tones, a touch of sweet botanicals and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with fine soil signature and grip, tangy acids, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced and nicely soil-driven finish that closes with a note of bitter cherry. I have never drunk a wine from Manchuela before and find its style quite compelling, with some similarities to Canary Islands red wines, but with a bit more black fruity personality and warm weather character. This is an excellent wine and a ridiculously good value! 2023-2040. 91.”
-John Gilman, published by View From the Cellar. Suggested drinking: 2023-2040.
Pairing: This bistro red will fare well with almost anything you’d want at Gainsbourg, Le Caviste, Le Pichet, and Café Campagne. Lamb burgers, charcuterie, pâté, steak frites, duck confit, mushrooms, and even cassoulet will pair wonderfully. (I know this wine is Spanish, but it drinks like reds from Marcillac.) Other ideas for pairing include serving this alongside rabo de toro (ox tail), curried goat, braised lamb shanks with pappardelle, chorizo, Ibérico, beef tenderloin, beef tongue, Spanish pork skewers (check out the recipe below), lentils with chorizo (substitute vegetarian chorizo for a meatless alternative), greens and yellow rice, and red pepper croquetas with a garlic sauce.
Spanish Pork Skewers
By David Tanis
About. Many thanks to the team at Mary Taylor Wine for the following information! The wind called “El Solano” blows across these high-altitude plains where Rus Jimenez runs her family farm called the Finca El Molar in Albacete. Rus runs the property after her father handed it to her in her twenties. She works with Luis, her enologist, and some vineyard hands who live on the property.
Manchuela has been a free standing DO since 2004, previously being an IGT in the Castilla-La-Mancha region. Here we have a micro-climate situated between 2 rivers, which is very sunny and dry, so striking the right balance between alcohol and polyphenols is a balancing act. Everything cultivated on this farm is certified organic. Yields are just 50 hl/ha and sulfur is kept to a bare minimum. Whole clusters get cold soaked for 4/5 days and the wine is made semi-carbonic. Rus boasts her penchant for minimal intervention.
Moravia Agria is a rare varietal that is essentially only grown here in central/eastern Spain. Agria indicates ‘sour’ as opposed to its sweet counterpart called Moravia Dulce. This region is more known for Bobal and Graciano, but this free standing Moravia Agria truly took my breath away for it’s depth and elegance. Wonderful savory notes and rich ripe berry with elegant acidity make for a wine that is truly unique.
Moravia Agria is a little-known red wine grape grown in tiny quantities in the arid heat of eastern La Mancha, in Spain. It has also been successfully cultivated in the warm climes of Australia, but has yet to make much of an impact on the market there.
The "agria" part of the variety's name means "sour" or "bitter", and is used to distinguish the variety from Moravia Dulce, which means "sweet Moravia" and is a synonym for Marufo (also Mourisco Tinto).
More on the varietal. Moravia is most often used as a blending component, and brings a slightly rustic, sometimes herbal character to wines. It is only very rarely used to make varietal wines, simply because the result tends to be very pale and astringently tannic.
Despite the similarities, Moravia is linked with neither the Moravia region of the eastern Czech Republic nor Cabernet Moravia, a grape variety used there.
Synonyms include: Brujidera; Crujidera; Trujidera.
Technical Information:
Size: 750mL
Denominacion: Manchuela
Soil Type: Limestone Clay
Varieties: 100% Moravia Agria
Age of Vines: 45 years
Farming: Organic
Yeast : Native / Indigenous
Alcohol: 12.5%
Aging Vessel: Stainless Steel
