2024 Ponce Estrecha Bobal

98 pts
Ponce |Manchuela |Bobal
A sophisticated, "Grand Cru" expression of old-vine Bobal - fragrant and silky with a mineral drive that rivals the great wines of the Northern Rhone or Beaujolais.

Price:
Sale price$69.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship, only 3 units left
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Description

La Estrecha is consistently one of the most sought-after wines in the Ponce stable, and for good reason. The name refers to the "narrowness" of the vineyard - a high-density, 75-year-old plot squeezed between a forest and the La Casilla vineyard at 870 meters.

While technically Bobal-dominant, the site includes a 10% mix of other varieties like Moravia and the white Marisancho, which Juan Antonio believes are essential to the wine’s signature freshness and elegance.

The 2024 is a standout, even by Ponce’s high standards, earning a massive 98-point review from The Wine Advocate. Fermented with full clusters and aged in large 5,000-liter oak vats, it avoids the heavy grip sometimes associated with old-vine Bobal. Instead, it’s a wine of serious nuance and detail.

You get intense black cherry and plum, but they are framed by Rhône-like complexity: tar, olive, dried herbs, and wildflowers. The palate is defined by very fine, chalky tannins and a limestone-driven minerality that provides a silky texture and incredible persistence. It’s a complete, world-class red that rivals the finest wines of the Northern Rhône or Burgundy for pure finesse.

98 points
"This is always one of my favorite wines here, irrespective of the price. Here, the varietal blend and possibly the soils make it very elegant, complex and complete, with very fine chalky tannins and less grippy than those from the Pino. This could very well be the highlight from the 2024 vintage."
- Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate)

98 points - "The 2024 La Estrecha comes from a plot that tends to deliver finesse, a floral character and complexity. It shows freshness and approachability, but it can also age. It fermented with full clusters in 4,500-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in a 5,000-liter oak vat until right before the next harvest. It's an old Bobal vineyard on granite soils that has some 10% other varieties. It comes in at 12.2% alcohol (12.5% on the label), a pH of 3.5 and 5.7 grams of acidity. It started a little shy but with nuance and detail and then becomes insinuating and serious. This is always one of my favorite wines here, irrespective of the price. Here, the varietal blend and possibly the soils make it very elegant, complex and complete, with very fine chalky tannins and less grippy than those from the Pino. This could very well be the highlight from the 2024 vintage. 5,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025." - Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate)

94 points - "Brooding, dark fruited, so sloshy and come hither in its jolly, jubey, inky way. Some sour elements too, a touch of dark vermouth character complete with botanical lift, white pepper, aniseed. Such a joyful and lush red, not heavy, just lots of character and an ease of drinking. Pleasure zones hit." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

The 2024 La Estrecha comes from a plot that tends to deliver finesse, a floral character and complexity. It shows freshness and approachability, but it can also age. It fermented with full clusters in 4,500-liter oak vats with indigenous yeasts and matured in a 5,000-liter oak vat until right before the next harvest. It's an old Bobal vineyard on granite soils that has some 10% other varieties. It comes in at 12.2% alcohol (12.5% on the label), a pH of 3.5 and 5.7 grams of acidity. It started a little shy but with nuance and detail and then becomes insinuating and serious. This is always one of my favorite wines here, irrespective of the price. Here, the varietal blend and possibly the soils make it very elegant, complex and complete, with very fine chalky tannins and less grippy than those from the Pino. This could very well be the highlight from the 2024 vintage. 5,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Bobal
Country Spain
Region Manchuela
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Advocate
The Wine Front
Critic Score 98
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Cork

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