Juan Carlos Sancha

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Located in Baños de Río Tobía, Rioja Alta, one of the best-known wine-producing regions of Spain is Bodegas Juan Carlos Sancha. Juan Carlos is a pioneer of modern Rioja, creating pure, terroir driven organic wines with very subtle use of oak. He is most famous for producing varietal wines from the grapes Maturana and Tempranillo Blanco both of which he rediscovered and saved from extinction.

Juan Carlos Sancha was voted viticulturist of the year and chosen as one of a few "first growth" producers by Tim Atkin in 2019.

These artisan organic wines elaborated from these minority varieties, offer three fine wines: Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta, Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco, and Peña El Gato.

Ad Libitum Maturana Tinta comes from an old minority Navarrateña variety of Maturana Tinta.

Ad Libitum Tempranillo Blanco is made from Tempranillo Blanco grapes, a mutation from the traditional, better-known red Tempranillo grapes.

Peña El Gato derives its name from the idea that the 95-year-old Garnacha grapevines, from which this wine come, are located so high up the mountains that even cats won’t dare to go there.

The Vineyard

16 Ha vineyard producing approximately 40,000 bottles, all produced through organic viticulture. Complete elimination of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers in the vineyard help achieve their goal of restoring the vineyards to their natural complexity and giving vines the ability to fight diseases and thereby promoting the proper and organic growth of the vines. Their winemaking philosophy is based on the concept of minimal intervention and preservation of purity in all stages of the wine-growing and winemaking process.