One of the most respected winemakers in southeast Spain, Pepe Mendoza started his carrier at his family's winery Enrique Mendoza. They were among the first to plant Syrah and other international varieties in the region to make high quality reds, but they gradually returned to work with local grapes, specially Monastrell.
His latest venture is Casa Agrícola, a very personal project launched alongside his wife Pepa Agulló.
Casa Agrícola has a strong focus on local and Mediterranean grape varieties sourced from their own vineyards (only 5% of the grapes are bought). They lie mostly in the inner Alto Vinalopó region near Villena, where they grow 20 hectares of Monastrell, Alicante Bouschet and Macabeo; and the sea-influenced Marina Alta, where the dominant grapes are Moscatel and Giró (a particular clone of Garnacha).
The Marina Alta vineyard is located in Abargues, a relatively large property with 12 hectares of vines planted in 1923, 1949 and 1969. It includes a winery that has been refurbished to house the production of Casa Agrícola wines.
Wines have no yeasts added. Whole bunch fermentation with around 30% of stems is the norm for the reds. Oak is almost absent or comes in 500-litre barrels. The style manages to express Mediterranean notes (scrubland, ripe fruit) but avoids extraction and any traces of heaviness or warmth -this seemed unthinkable in the area just a few years ago.
The wines
The range starts with two entry-level wines offering terrific value which Pepe refers to as “landscape wines”. The white (30,000 bottles, €12 in Spain) blends Macabeo and Airén from Alto Vinalopó with Moscatel from Marina Alta, whereas the red (50,000 bottles, €12) is a blend Monastrell and smaller amounts of Giró and Garnacha Tintorera (aka Alicante Bouschet). Next comes Pureza (7,000 bottles, around €18 in Spain), kept in contact with the Moscatel skins for six days and fermented in amphorae.
Three terroir-driven wines are also produced. El Veneno (12,000 bottles €27) is an uncommon fresh expression of Monastrell. Grapes are sourced from the highest plots in a vineyard with eight hectares in Alto Vinalopó. Giró de Abargues (4,000 bottles) reflects the subtler character of Giró planted in the Marina Alta property. Mendoza regards Fierroca (around 2,000 bottles, €70) as the grand cru expression of the Giró variety, sourced from an old vineyard rooted in shallow, stony soils rich in sand and iron.
Finally, Pequeñas Producciones (small productions) is the name of an experimental range described by Pepe Mendoza as a place “to allow myself to make mistakes and explore with total freedom.”