This project was started in 2008 by winemaker Juan Vicente Alcañiz and restaurateur Jesús Romero in Rubielos de Mora (Teruel, Aragón), a village perched in the foothills of the Serranía de Gúdar mountain range, not far from the boundary with Valencia. Whilst family bonds encouraged both of them to recover the wine-growing tradition of the place, climate change provided a favourable scenario for high altitude plantings -here vineyards lie at around 1,000 metres elevation. Since the 2022 harvest, Alcañiz, who works as technical director at Bodegas San Alejandro in Calatayud, has led the project by himself.
The first planting was done in 2008 at 980 metres elevation in La Ermita de los Mártires. This site lies in an extreme area with dry continental climate, an abundance of wildlife and significant hail risk -that is why vineyards are fenced and protected with anti-hail nets. At present, Alcañiz farms five hectares by hand in Rubielos. With 3.5 hectares under vine, Garnacha is the dominant variety followed by Tempranillo and Syrah.
An additional five hectares sourced from suppliers are also farmed. They are located more than 140 kilometres away, in the northwestern tip of Teruel, slightly north of Calamocha, near the villages of San Miguel del Río and Báguena. This area, which could be described as an extension of Calatayud into the province of Teruel, once had a strong wine-growing tradition. However, following the gradual disappearance of its cooperatives, most of the grapes end up in Calatayud, destined to varietal wines sold without the DO seal.
The area's main asset are dry-farmed goblet-trained Garnacha. The main plot, covering 3 ha, lies on a gentle slope and was registered in 1955. The upper part, with stony, slate soils and a sharper, aromatic profile, is destined to the top red La Viña de Báguena (around 1,000 bottles, €25 in Spain). All in all, the entire plot seldom yields more than 6,000 kg. Relatively light in colour, the wine is delicate and shows the depth and persistence of old vines.
One step below is Rubus (17,000 bottles, €8 in Spain), a blend of 70% Garnacha and 30% Tempranillo from Rubielos de Mora and aged in concrete tanks for four to five months. The wine is marked by the herbal character and red fruit from the vineyard’s high elevation. Rubus Quercus (8,000 bottles, €12) used to blend both areas but from the 2020 vintage grapes are sourced exclusively from Báguena. This wine is predominantly Garnacha, but it includes some Miguel de Arco, an indigenous grape variety that adds freshness and good acidity. Total production stands at around 30,000 bottles.
