Bodegas Mustiguillo is a lovely site of classic old country Spanish architecture set against the beautiful landscape of Valencia, 100 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast in eastern Spain. The Sarrion family behind it all is known for genuine, warm hospitality and a welcoming positive energy. Toni Sarrion traded his career in business for a life tending vines and making wines. His initial mission when he founded Mustiguillo in the early 1990s was to save the ancient red Bobal grape from extinction when he rejuvenated vineyards that were in his family and also purchased more old vine vineyards (ranging from 40-years-old to some dating back to 1917) that had been abandoned. He started farming organically and making elegant, age-worthy Bobal like no one imagined could be done. The white grape, Merseguera, was a similarly abandoned varietal that he also wanted to save, so he spent four years farming the grapes of an older vineyard and “crafting several micro-fermentations.” He brought that learning back to his Calvestra vineyard in the El Terrarazo DOP, where he grafted Merseguera onto 40-year-old Bobal rootstock in a block situated at 900 meters above sea, an altitude at which Bobal could not ripen appropriately.
VINIFICATION
Today, the estate is comprised of 89 hectares of contiguous vineyards on primarily limestone soils. The climate is Mediterranean with a strong continental influence, featuring drastic diurnal shifts in temperature and contrasting winds from the sea to the east and hot La Mancha to the west. Mustiguillo received the Vino de Pago El Terrerazo qualification in 2010, from the Grandes Pagos de España organization, which is dedicated to upholding and promoting top-quality, single estate DOCa wines. As of 2021 only 21 producers can boast the Vino de Pago designation. Crafted from 100% estate-grown Bobal, sourced from two plots planted in 1945 and 1970, on dolomite limestone soil with chalky sand at 800m elevation. The plots were each vinified separately with indigenous yeasts and underwent malolactic in 3500 & 5000L oak vats, followed by 18 months ageing in French oak (225 & 500L) barrels.
