Behind the Label
Al Mansa means “the fortress.” The Piqueras family has owned vineyards for almost 100 years at a 2,500 foot elevation outside the stunning, hilltop fortress town of Almansa, just north of Jumilla. Juan Pablo Bonete Piqueras, the energetic, young head of this generation of the family, manages the many acres of property that supply his grapes. The vineyards are planted to an ambitious array of varietals, some of them experimental in the DO: Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Garnacha (Grenache), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet), Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Verdejo, Macabeo, and Sauvignon Blanc. His winery is modern and immaculate, and his wines are exciting. Bodegas Piqueras was the driving force behind the creation of the DO of Almansa.
The winery is produces several wines for the U.S. market under two different labels. The Castillo de Almansa Garnacha Tintorera is a special bottling of this unique grape. The Valcanto line features two wines, Monastrell and Syrah, which are pre-eminent varieties of the region. In Spanish, Valcanto means “stone pebble’s valley.” The vineyards where the grapes for the Valcanto wines are grown, are in a valley and the soil is 100% pebbles. At one time this land belonged to an order of monks who tended the surrounding vineyards. All that remains of this order is a cloister, part of which still stands precariously on this land. The name, Valcanto, and the label design are meant to pay homage to these first agronomists and winemakers in Almansa.