Case of Finca Sandoval Fundamentalista 2024 | $29.00 per bottle

$29.00 per bottle | $348.00 case of 12

Grape Varieties: Old-vine Bobal field blend with about 40% Syrah and up to 20% white varieties
Region: D.O. Manchuela, Cuenca, Spain
Producer: Finca Sandoval
Winemaker: Javier Revert
Alcohol: 13.5%
Production: 19,100 bottles, bottled May 2025
Farming: Certified organic

The Origin: Finca Sandoval was founded in 1998 by the wine writer Víctor de la Serna and winemaker Rafael Orozco on high, limestone-rich ground near Cuenca in Manchuela. It made its name on Syrah; since Javier Revert took over the winemaking in 2019, the estate has turned to Bobal, the local grape long written off as too rustic, and to old vineyards where Bobal grows alongside other native varieties. Fundamentalista comes from those old vines, 85 years and more, on sandy clay-limestone at about 750 m.

The Profile: Wine Advocate calls it floral, perfumed and attractive: medium-bodied and fine-boned, quite approachable, with just enough tannin to want food. Cosecha's tasting notes add smoke, black cherry, Mediterranean herbs and a hint of black olive. 13.5% alcohol, pH 3.5, 5.2 g/l acidity. 94 points, Wine Advocate. Earlier vintages: 93 (2023), 92+ (2022), 92 (2021).

The Craft: Per Wine Advocate's note on this vintage, the grapes were fermented with full clusters and foot-trodden, with a short eight- to ten-day maceration (the Syrah was vinified almost as a rosé), then matured in concrete. 2024 was warm and dry, picked early, in mid-August. Organic since 2015, certified 2020. 19,100 bottles.

The Pairing: Serve slightly cool, at 15–16°C. The light tannins suit grilled lamb chops, chorizo off the grill, herb-roasted chicken, or a semi-cured Manchego.