Bodegas Gratias Y tu de Quien Eres Red 2020

Y tu de Quien Eres is a red field blend sourced from multiple small mixed plots in the Manchuela area of Castilla-La Mancha, just outside the DO boundary near Casas Ibañez in Albacete. The wine is built primarily around Bobal, joined by a rotating cast of rarely seen indigenous varieties including Moravia Agria, Teta de Vaca, Marisancho, Pedro Juan, Cegivera, Rojal, and Pintailla, among others. Some of the growers supplying these grapes cannot identify every variety in their plots. Vines are bush-trained, dry-farmed, and range from old to very old, with some exceeding 100 years.

This wine began as a crowdfunding campaign launched in 2016 to save a grower's vineyard from being uprooted. The plot, owned by a local farmer named Pepe, held around 20 different grape varieties. Gratias took fermentation vats directly to the vineyard, trod a first layer of grapes to release must and start fermentation, then added the remaining whole bunches. The result is a wine made the way it was made in villages across this region for generations. After fermentation, the wine is aged in a combination of tinaja (clay vessels), old barrels, and stainless steel.

The labels feature portraits of the small farmers whose grapes go into the blend, a direct acknowledgment of the community structure behind the wine. Annual production is approximately 5,300 bottles. No fining, no filtration, and only minimal sulfur additions if any, typically totaling around 15ppm.

On the palate, expect a medium-bodied red with a soft, slightly carbonic mouthfeel, bright red plum and blackberry fruit, dried Mediterranean herbs, and light minerality from the calcareous clay soils. The wide variety of grapes brings genuine complexity without weight.